Descriptions and characteristics of the types and best varieties of crocuses that exist

Various types and varieties of crocuses are grown to decorate garden beds or in indoor flower pots. These delicate, violet-scented flowers appear in early spring. However, there are many varieties that bloom in the fall. In southern countries, crocuses are grown for the sake of an expensive spice - saffron powder.

Classification of crocuses and their features

Crocuses are perennial flowering plants from the Iris family. They grow in the southern steppes, mountain meadows, and forests. The flower grows wild in the Mediterranean countries, Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. Loves open sunny places and well-drained soils.

Crocuses are also called saffron. Everyone knows the yellow spice made from the stigma of this flower. In the old days, such a seasoning was worth its weight in gold. In Eastern countries, saffron was used to make medicines, used it in cooking, for embalming corpses, and dyeing clothes yellow. In the 11th century, during the Crusades, saffron was brought to Europe and was used as a spice for a long time.

Only in the 16th century did decorative crocuses appear in European gardens. The first garden flowers include Dutch hybrids (Yellow Mammos).

Crocuses are small plants 8-32 centimeters high. The leaves are basal, green, with a longitudinal, light stripe, long and narrow. They appear from the ground during or after flowering.

The underground part of the crocus is represented by a corm. This is a modified stem; it is round, covered with dry scales, and has numerous roots extending from the bottom. Corms of different species differ in structure and color characteristics. They only live for a year. During the growing season, the corm decreases in size and spends all its nutrients on development and flowering. Then it is replaced by a new bulb.

The flowers are solitary, often simple, with stamens and stigmas inside. Sometimes 2-3 flowers appear from one corm. They look like a glass on a thin stem. The stem is almost invisible, it is very short, hiding underground. The stem can be taken to be a long perianth with 6 petals at the top, rising from the corm. Inside it there is a thread-like column, divided at the end into three parts - these are the bright orange stigmas of saffron.

Based on color, they are divided into yellow-flowered (yellow, orange) and blue-flowered (lilac, purple). The flowers are snow-white, with a slight pinkish tint. The set fruit is formed underground. After ripening, it is brought to the surface. The fruit is a three-lobed capsule with small angular seeds inside. They reproduce by corms or seeds.

Crocuses, depending on the species, bloom in early spring or late autumn. Flowering duration is 7-19 days. The buds open in sunny weather.

Dried flower stigmas have long been used as a spice. In the modern food industry, a natural yellow dye is made from the stigma of saffron sativum, Alatavi, beautiful, Pallas. The powder is used to tint cheeses, butter, and drinks yellowish. One gram of saffron turns 100 liters of water yellow. The plant owes this property to the substance it contains - crocin. Dried flowers are used in perfumery.

Crocuses are grown for industrial needs in Iran, India, Spain, and as an ornamental plant in many countries around the world. The flowers look great in flower garden beds and indoor pots. Used to create compositions in floristry.

More than 80 types of saffron are known. There are 19 varieties growing in Russia.The classification of crocuses has changed frequently. Since 1886, they have been divided into 2 subgenera - with flowers wrapped in leaves (Involucrati) and flowers uncovered with leaves (Nudiflori). The modern classification is based on Brian Matthew's scheme. Crocuses come in 2 subgenera - Crocus and Crociris. There is only one species of saffron in the subgenus Crociris (Banat). The subgenus Crocus has 2 sections and 15 species. The types of corms differ in structure.

Classification of crocuses:

1. Crocus:

• Crocus (sowing, Pallas, Cartwright, Otran, Karduhor, Kochi, Sharoyan, valley, Gulimi, long-flowered, middle, late, Etruscan, Tomazini, spring, Corsican, smallest);
• Nudiscapus (Crimean, Caspian, golden, yellow, Fleischer, Alatavsky, Korolkova, Mikhelson, Ankara, narrow-leaved, Dalmatian, Zibera).

2. Crociris: Banatian.

Saffron grown in Spain comes in two varieties: Coupe and Superior. The first variety produces a more valuable seasoning, since the upper parts of the stigmas are used for its production. The second variety has a weaker color and aroma, since the powder is made from the whole saffron stigma. In Spain, crocuses are dried in fire ovens. The cost of 1 kilogram of Spanish spice is $900.

Kashmiri Indian saffron seasoning is made using a different technology. The collected boxes are dried under hot sunlight. For spices, use whole saffron stigmas. They are rejected with water. The sunken stigmas are of the highest grade, and the floating ones are of the lowest grade.

However, more than 80 percent of the spices on the market are produced in Iran. Iranian saffron is not very expensive. True, spices from Iran have the strongest coloring effect. The powder is made from the young stigma of saffron. The cost of 1 kilogram of spice is $470.

You can find false saffron in stores. This is Imeretian, made not from crocuses, but from marigolds. This spice comes from Georgia. False saffron also includes Alatavi saffron, made from Alatavi Crocus, a spice originally from Uzbekistan.

Garden

To decorate garden flower beds, planting material of various types and varieties is purchased. Crocuses are grown mainly from corms. Saffron Posevnaya has soft lilac flowers. This plant can bloom in the fall and has a violet scent.

Crocus the Beautiful has flowers of a soft lilac color. Large flowers open in September and bloom for almost a month. Autumn varieties include the cornflower blue crocus Cassiopeia, lilac Artabir, snow-white Albus, amethyst Pallux, and pale purple Pallas. Crocuses with blue and snow-white flowers bloom more often in autumn. Less often in the autumn garden you can find Sharoyan saffron, with bright yellow petals. In August, Dolinny saffron blooms, with snow-white flowers.

In spring, spring crocuses appear in flower beds with yellow, pink or bright red petals. For example, botanical small-flowered. In April, the Golden Crocus blooms, with yellowish flowers. Spring hybrids include purple-colored Dutch hybrids, soft blue Blue Pearl, lemon Princess Beatrix, snow-white White Triumphant, plum Violet Queen, and lilac-white Lady Killer.

Indoor

Crocuses look great in indoor pots. Delicate flowers of these plants, depending on the species, will appear in spring or autumn. For home cultivation, corms of large-flowered Dutch hybrids are usually purchased. Spring varieties include the following varieties: blue Vangart, purple Remembrance, snow-white Joan of Arc.In autumn, pale blue Artabir, purple Sollux, and snow-white Albus bloom. In one pot you can plant bulbs of only spring or only autumn varieties.

Main groups and varieties

There are more than 80 types of crocuses. Most of them bloom in spring. True, there is a huge variety of colors of plants that bloom exclusively in autumn. Each type of saffron is represented by numerous varieties.

Dutch hybrids

These are popular and quite numerous crocuses. Dutch hybrids are grown in garden plots and in indoor pots. They have large flowers. The color of the petals is lilac, pale purple, snow-white or striped. Flowers grow up to 11 centimeters in height. The ancestors of Dutch hybrids are considered to be Spring, Yellow, and Narrow-leaved crocuses.

Chrysanthus Group

This variety has slightly smaller flower sizes than Dutch hybrids. The ancestors of the group were the Golden and Two-flowered crocus. Varieties of this variety have yellow, purple, snow-white and blue flowers.

Autumn-flowering plant species

The famous Crocus Sowing is one that blooms in autumn. An expensive spice, saffron, is made from the stigma of this plant. Autumn-blooming varieties come from the crocus Posevnaya, Krasny, Pallas, Sharoyan, and Banatsky. Popular varieties: Oksinan, Albus, Artabir.

Large-flowered or spring-blooming crocuses

In spring, Dutch hybrids and varieties obtained from the crocus Adamas, Tomazini, Vesenniy, Uzkolistny, Zolotisty, Two-flowered, and Crimean usually bloom in spring.

Popular varieties and color variety of crocuses

Dutch hybrids are usually grown in garden plots.These varieties are undemanding to soil and adapt well to any weather. Gardeners prefer to buy Dutch corms, as they have good and beautiful large flowers and better varietal characteristics.

Lilac, light purple Thomas

This is a tiny plant with beautiful pale purple flowers. Blooms in early spring. Loves sunlight very much.

Sieber

A small spring flower with an original three-color color. The center is yellow, sharply turning into a white stripe, at the end the petals are soft lilac. Famous varieties: snow-white Bowlez White, tricolor Tricolor and Violet Queen.

Korolkova

A tiny plant with orange flowers. The petals are wine-colored on the outside below. Height - 6-15 centimeters. Blooms in spring.

Crocus Vangart and Flower record

Dutch hybrids bred on the basis of Spring saffron. They have huge, goblet-shaped flowers. Height - 14-25 centimeters. Long leaves appear after flowering. Plants of this species have yellow, lilac, snow-white, scarlet, and purple flowers. Popular varieties: Vangart, Yeloy Mammot, Remembrans.

Violet Queen – purple flowers

A beautiful purple flower with a golden yellow throat. Blooms in spring. This large-flowered variety comes from the Golden-flowered saffron.

Hubert Edelitern – purple with white and yellow stripes

A small spring plant with large flowers. The color of the petals is lilac or striped (with purple or yellowish lines on a white background). Crocuses bloom in spring.

Cream Beauty – cream flowers

Delicate cream flowers. The variety originated from Golden-flowered saffron. Flowers bloom in April.

Blue Pearl – white with slight blue

A tall plant with flowers up to 8-10 centimeters. Crocus blooms in March, along with snowdrops. The flowers are pale blue, with a yellow center.

White Albus

Snow-white flowers of this variety appear in September. The plant is 11-18 centimeters high with a delicate aroma. The variety was bred on the basis of the Beautiful saffron.

Oxonian with dark blue buds

A low flower 15 centimeters long. Blooms in autumn. Originates from the Beautiful saffron. Oxonian has beautiful dark blue flowers.

Valikola – cream flowers

A low but surprisingly beautiful flowering plant that blooms in autumn. It has delicate cream flowers and a light violet aroma.

Yellow crocus

Golden flowers appear in early spring. This beautiful saffron blooms in cool weather, almost at the very surface of the earth, even without leaves. The flowers are yellowish, 6-petaled.

Saffron Tomasini

This flower is also called Neapolitan. Spring primrose with delicate lilac flowers. Blooms at the very beginning of April. Wild forms are found in the Balkans, Hungary, and Bulgaria. Plant height is 7-8 centimeters. The diameter of the flowers is 3-4 centimeters.

Pink and lilac Harlem (Harlem) Jam

A beautiful spring variety of saffron with pink-lilac flowers. This small plant has small delicate flowers with 6 petals. Blooms in spring, along with snowdrops. Purple flowers on a thin, high stalk and long threads of green leaves with a light stripe in the middle appear from the ground. Crocuses bloom for several days.