Crocus biflorus

Crocus biflorus, the silvery crocus,[1] is a species of flowering plant in the genus Crocus of the family Iridaceae, native to southeastern Europe and southwestern Asia, including Italy, the Balkans, Ukraine, Turkey, Caucasus, Iraq, and Iran.[2] It is a cormous perennial growing to 6 cm (2.4 in) tall and wide. It is a highly variable species, with flowers in shades of pale mauve or white, often with darker stripes on the outer tepals. The flowers appear early in spring.[3]

Crocus biflorus
C. biflorus in Tuscany
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
(unranked):
Angiosperms
(unranked):
Monocots
Order:
Asparagales
Family:
Iridaceae
Subfamily:
Crocoideae
Genus:
Crocus
Species:
C. biflorus
Binomial name
Crocus biflorus

Classification

According to the taxonomic classification proposed by Brian Mathew in 1982, C. biflorus falls within the series Biflori of the section Nudiscapus within the genus Crocus. However, modern DNA analysis is challenging whether the series Biflori can be separated from the Reticulati and Speciosi series.[4] At least 21 subspecies of C. biflorus have been named; furthermore numerous cultivars have been raised for garden use.

Subspecies[2]
  • Crocus biflorus subsp. adamii (J.Gay) K.Richt. - Balkans, Ukraine, Crimea, Caucasus, Iran
  • Crocus biflorus subsp. albocoronatus Kerndorff - Taurus Mountains in Turkey
  • Crocus biflorus subsp. alexandri (Nicic ex Velen.) B.Mathew - Serbia, Bulgaria, northeastern Greece
  • Crocus biflorus subsp. artvinensis (J.Philippow) B.Mathew - Caucasus, northeastern Turkey
  • Crocus biflorus subsp. atrospermus Kernd. & Pasche - Turkey
  • Crocus biflorus subsp. biflorus - Italy including Sicily, Turkey, Rodhos (Ρόδος, Rhodes) Island in Greece
  • Crocus biflorus subsp. caelestis Kernd. & Pasche - Turkey
  • Crocus biflorus subsp. caricus Kernd. & Pasche - Turkey
  • Crocus biflorus subsp. crewei (Hook.f.) B.Mathew - Turkey, Greek islands
  • Crocus biflorus subsp. fibroannulatus Kernd. & Pasche - Artvin Province in Turkey
  • Crocus biflorus subsp. ionopharynx Kernd. & Pasche - Turkey
  • Crocus biflorus subsp. isauricus (Siehe ex Bowles) B.Mathew - Turkey
  • Crocus biflorus subsp. leucostylosus Kernd. & Pasche - Denizli Province in Turkey
  • Crocus biflorus subsp. nubigena (Herb.) B.Mathew - Turkey, Greek islands
  • Crocus biflorus subsp. pseudonubigena B.Mathew - Turkey
  • Crocus biflorus subsp. pulchricolor (Herb.) B.Mathew - Turkey
  • Crocus biflorus subsp. punctatus B.Mathew - Turkey
  • Crocus biflorus subsp. stridii (Papan. & Zacharof) B.Mathew - northeastern Greece
  • Crocus biflorus subsp. tauri (Maw) B.Mathew - Caucasus, Turkey, Iran, Iraq
  • Crocus biflorus subsp. weldenii (Hoppe & Fürnr.) K.Richt - Italy, Albania, Yugoslavia
  • Crocus biflorus subsp. yataganensis Kernd. & Pasche - Turkey

Award

The cultivar 'Blue Pearl' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[5]

References
  1. "BSBI List 2007". Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-01-25. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  2. Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  3. RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 1405332964.
  4. Brian Mathew, Gitte Petersen & Ole Seberg, A reassessment of Crocus based on molecular analysis, The Plantsman (N.S.) Vol 8, Part 1, pp50–57, March 2009
  5. "Crocus biflorus". Plant Selector. Royal Horticultural Society. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
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