Description
(formerly Crocus pestalozzae caeruleus, C. pestalozzae violaceus, Crocus violaceus)
At the time that I first started growing the plant, probably in the 1970s it was known simply as a blue-violet colour form of the otherwise identical C. pestalozzae. It was widely known in horticulture as Crocus pestalozzae caeruleus, though I am not sure if this was ever a formal name. This ceased to matter when it was eventually christened as C. pestalozzae subspecies violaceus. You are still with me I hope?
Subsequently with the fashion to change the perfectly sensible and workable system involving subspecies. Everything seems to now be upgraded to a full species and so the plant became, for a short time, Crocus violaceus. Then it was realised that this name had in fact already been used for a different Crocus almost 250 years ago, so the new name was already taken. In short, this poor plant need another name, yet again.
Currently it is Crocus yalovensis, though it still remains the virtually blue-violet form of of C. pestalozzae to gardeners. Botanically it differs on minor floral characteristics, differing geographical distribution (it seems to be very limited in the wild) and the incompatibility of the two species when crossing is attempted (not in itself an indicator of species status).
It makes abundant and beautiful, mineral violet-purple flowers fading towards white in the centre but with a lovely golden throat. These are borne with the narrow wiry leaves in early spring. The bases of the filaments, have the characteristic, tiny black base, that looks like a speck of soil in the throat of the flower.
This is a floriferous and adaptable Turkish plant and despite its rarity in the wild it is well established in cultivation and is in factone of the best of the miniature species for the garden, as it stands the weather so very well.
