Description
A member of a small group of closely related species based around Crocus nubigena group this species is readily separable by the golden colour of the anthers and also by the presence of elongated teeth (these are very obvious) on the basal rings of the tunics, which cover the corms.
C. nubigena typically has black anthers, whilst those of C. seisumsiana are usually yellow with a dark grey or black connective which, on superficial investigation, makes them look as if they have black anthers (which they don’t). The anthers are slightly longer than the filaments, they taper towards the tips and the style branches overtop them. The basal rings of the corm tunic have very obvious and well developed, elongated teeth (see gallery)
The flowers are made from January to March and very colourful being a light violet internally, with yellow and black anthers and orange styles, deep in the (glabrous) throat there is a deep yellow-orange zone and a tiny, deep purple mark right in the centre.
Externally the flowers are the same pale violet with an obvious, dark purple basal mark and the orange throat shining through. Most plants that we grow have some purple feathering on the outer three petals and in some there is a suggestion of a cream background.
We still have this under alpine house glass until the stock is large enough to risk it outside. It does well in our usual loam-based, well-drained compost and it seems tolerant of some moisture during its summer dormancy.
Found on Mt. Ambelos on Samos under pines at 450 – 1100m in rocky area under bushes and Pinus.
