Description
A diminutive species spread right across southern Europe from the Azores to Turkey. It is said to occur in N. Africa as well. This is also a rare native of parts of southern Britain, whence the name ‘Sand Crocus” has arisen, from it’s earliest known habitats and its superficial similarity to the latter plant.
Each tiny corm makes one or two basal leaves and several cauline (stem) leaves which are very narrow, wiry and quite inconspicuous. One to three flowers are made per corm and these are made almost a ground level or on a very short stem, early in the year, from February onwards with us.
The flowers are funnel-shaped and in this accession, raised from seed traceable to a Crete, the flowers are a very pale violet with a golden yellow throat. The two areas of colour are separated by a zone of deep violet-purple with veins of the same colour running up and down into each petal. There is also a suggestion of white at the top of the yellow zone and this draws further attention to the superb contrast between the colour zones.
We keep this under alpine glass as it is a diminutive species, easily lost sight of in the garden and we enjoy its very early flowers inside, where we have it in small pans of well-drained, loam-based compost, dried off in early summer once the leaves yellow. A trouble-free little plant not needing a whole lot of attention but giving abundant rewards in miniature.
