Crocus karduchorum

 "If you are patient in one moment of anger, you can escape 100 days of sorrow" 

                                                                    -Chinese Proverb

Most of the repotted bulbs are still outside and we have moved well enough into fall that the rainfall is coming decent enough now and the temperatures are getting nice and chilly at night. I'll probably move them into the greenhouse for the winter rest period soon. In the meantime I've enjoyed walking around in the evenings and seeing another species of crocus opening almost nightly now. This evenings feature is Crocus karduchorum. 

Crocus karduchorum

I thought I would feature this one since I was able to snatch a pic of what is probably it's best distinguishing figure, the finely divided style that is branched into many thin filaments. From the outside this could be easily confused with Crocus kotschyanus, but one look at the inside and you can clearly see the difference. 

It hails from the Lake Van region of Turkey and said to grow in gritty, acid soils among oaks and scrub. Lake Van is the largest lake in Turkey and home to lore and legend of cryptid Dragon like sea monsters and sunken castles from the middle ages. The Armenian highlands of the eastern Anatolian region, offer scrubby Quercus infectoria woodlands interspersed with a rich floral diversity with high rate of endemic species with lots of thistles, native Dianthus and the stunning Iris iberica.

It's an easy grower, and it seems to do every bit as good as the often mistaken C. kotschyanus in the garden. I find it often growing out of the old bulb soil piles I tend to spread around the garden at harvest time. 

The cool weather is most welcome and I saw temperatures forecasted to drop into the upper 30's as things clear up this week. So I started moving some of the orchids and summer tropicals in for the season. Soon enough I'll get the greenhouse all tucked away for the winter and it will be time for the holiday celebrations. 

Cheers, 

Mark