Plant of the Week
Autumn Crocus 2
Latin: Crocus speciosus
 On the same day that America received the horrific surprise from the Middle
East, the postman delivered a package that had begun its travels from the same
part of the world centuries ago. The corms the postman delivered that fateful
day were Crocus speciosus, the Autumn crocus.
These corms had followed the path of many immigrants, first stopping off in
Holland before making their way to our shores.
The Autumn crocus is one of a dozen or more fall-flowering crocuses grown in
American gardens. The light blue to violet flowers begin appearing in late
September and October and grow 6-8 eight inches tall without a trace of foliage.
The flowers are typical of crocus, with six petals, or tepals, forming a narrow
tube that extends into the earth.
Perhaps it’s a testimony to the harshness of the climate in Turkey, Iran and
the mountains of Afghanistan that have kept the womb of the flower, the ovary,
below ground. The unpredictable and harsh winter weather can appear early, so
the plant has developed the survival strategy of maturing its capsule of seeds
below ground and out of the reach of all but the hardest freezes. As the seed
ripens, the peduncle elongates and the pods emerge to the surface of the soil.
The fall-flowering characteristic of Autumn crocus is also an adaptation to
the harsh climate. Plants blooming in the fall without a trace of leaves usually
hail from regions that have prolonged summer droughts. The leaves of Autumn
crocus are typical for crocus and appear early in the spring and persist until
the heat of summer broils them into submission.
The corm, an underground storage structure constituting a solid, white
starchy mass with the buds embedded on the surface in concentric rings, is
typical of other members of the iris family such as gladiolus, except for its
size. While often referred to as a "bulb" in the jargon of the gardener, it
lacks the internal scales seen in onions, daffodils and other such true bulbs.
The name Crocus is from the Greek word krokos, which was borrowed from
the Semitic word karkom. The name did not refer to the familiar
spring-blooming species, but to the Saffron Crocus (C. sativus), which
was used extensively as a die, as an ingredient in cooking and even in embalming
rituals.
This plant, so widely sought after in its Mediterranean homeland by the
ancients, is now known only in cultivation. It’s been harvested to the point of
extinction in the wild.
Of the fall blooming crocuses, C. speciosa is perhaps the showiest. It
should be planted 4-6 inches deep in well prepared, deeply spaded soil. While
most crocuses do best in full sun, this species seems to do best in the high
shade of oak trees.
While the plant is from a dry, hostile region, it seems to flourish best in a
moderately moist site. In the Southern garden, they will increase slowly and
eventually naturalize, making them valued citizens of the League of Nations that
make up our own gardens.
It can be used in the front of mixed borders as an addition to the lawn or in
groundcover beds. At least to my eye, these naked-fall flowering plants look
gawky and strange if they’re emerging in open ground. A skirt of grass or vinca
leaves gives the blooms a point of reference and more effectively displays their
delicate beauty.
By: Gerald Klingaman, retired
Extension Horticulturist
- Ornamentals
Extension News -
September 28, 2001
Back to Archives A - D
|
