Crocus cartwrightianus
It’s been a while since I have done a plant bio, and since I thought I would announce that our first frost of the season fell on Friday October 27th this year with a low of 27 degrees, these chilly mornings seemed like a good opportunity to cover one of my favorite Crocus.
The wild saffron as I call them are a wonderful group of crocus, flowering in the autumn, often up to and around the first frost. All related to the sterile triploid producer of Saffron Crocus sativus. One of my favorites in the group is Crocus carwrightianus which is thougth to be the wild parent of the famed saffron. I have grown this one for a long time and it’s a tough, dependable fall bloomer. Several different clones exist and I have grown some seedlings of my own that are starting to show some interesting characteristics. A native of the a number of Islands in the Aegean sea including Crete, Attica, the Cyclades. It’s remarkably hardy, as a patch of the straight species has been increasing in my rock garden for the past 6 years now and has seen temps into the high teens, snow, ice and the relentless drippy, cold wet of a Pacific Northwest winter.
Crocus cartwrightianus
Some years ago I got the clone Crocus cartwrightianus ‘Marcel’, it sets seed reliably and over the years I’m starting to see some nice variations on the theme. Since the species is exceedingly variable itself it makes sense that the progeny end up with mixed traits. They fragrance on the species is wonderful on a warm autumn afternoon, and while I think C. thomasii has a better scent to it, these are quite lovely. I have harvested the stigmas before and while somewhat smaller than C. sativus, they have a wonderful saffron flavor. Ruksans writes about a clone called ‘Purple Heart' and I’m on the search for that one if anyone wants to trade! Check out the gallery to see a few different versions of this indomitable fall blooming crocus.
Cultivation is easy, for the most part, my pot grown production methods have been widely covered in past blog posts, a well drained mix is essential as is a dry summer rest. Harvested bulbs dug in August will often hold clear until flowering in late September and early october. I fertilize all my potted bulbs regularly, through the growing period, and also utilize a water soluble mychorrizae inoculant to ensure robust roots and vigorous offsetting.
The native habitat is listed in Brian Mathews excellent book on the genus as “Open rocky hillsides, sometimes in short turf or in scrub or in sparse pinewoods on schist, shale, granite or limestone formations from sea level to 1000 metres”. There isn’t much written about it’s discovery and introduction into cultivation, except that it was named by the Botanist, clergyman, and poet William Herbert after John Cartwright who served as as staff at the British Consulate in Turkey and collected and sent some corms from the Island of Tenos.
I hope you enjoyed this brief on the wonderful Crocus catwrightianus and consider adding it to your garden next year. I hope you trust me when I say you won’t be disappointed!
Cheers,
Mark