Description
A newly recognised species (2015) but a plant which has been in cultivation for some time, though it had been confused with Crocus pulchricolor previously. Brian Mathew records it as such, in 1982 growing in the environs of Lake Abant with the now well-known C. abantensis.
Crocus zetterlundii has a large purple or violet flower with a well-defined chrome yellow throat. Forms with pale, or even white, flowers are known but remain rare and most are darker violet. The exterior of the flower has a dark violet basal patch with short (or no) rays that do not extend along the length of the petals. The cataphylls are yellowish (see gallery picture) and this serves to distinguish the plant from plants mistakenly thought to be C. pulchricolor (in which the cataphylls are white). In the centre of the flower yellow anthers contrast with orange-red styles however the ratio of the lengths of these appears not to be a diagnostic feature, anthers may be longer than styles however the reverse is also true.
Readily grown, setting seed and increasing well vegetatively, though it has only small corms. As implied by its moist, upland native home, in the region of Lake Abant in Turkey, this seems to tolerate summer water well and once it is less rare it will perhaps be found to do well outside in the garden, under the right conditions.
Named for Henrik Zetterlund of the Botanical Garden at Gothenburg, Sweden.
