This PBS wiki page describes Spring Blooming crocus species M-S.
Crocus index - Fall Blooming crocus A-H - Fall Blooming crocus I-O - Fall Blooming crocus P-Z - Spring Blooming crocus A-B - Spring Blooming crocus C-E - Spring Blooming Crocus F-L - Spring Blooming crocus T-Z
Crocus malyi grows in grassy rocky places in the western Balkans. It has long white flowers with a yellow throat and a bright orange style. It appeared in my garden in Northern California before the leaves the end of January 2006 when we were getting a lot of rain and lasted only briefly. The leaves appeared in February. Photos by Mary Sue Ittner.
Crocus michelsonii is native to the Kopet Dag range of Turkmenistan and Iran, growing on stony hills and sagebrush steppe at mid elevations. The plants pictured were grown by Jane McGary from seed collected in 2000 by Jan Jilek. They are kept in a bulb frame, fairly dry in summer, and here are flowering in late January after a prolonged period below freezing, when they were covered. The flowers are large and a beautiful shade of blue, and the plants seem robust. Photo by Jane McGary.
Crocus minimus comes from the west coast of Corsica at altitudes up to 2,000 feet (700 meters), but grows at higher altitudes in Sardinia. It blooms from January to April in its native habitat. Mathew says it is easy to grow in a rock garden. Photos by John Lonsdale.
Crocus nevadensis (synonyms C. atlanticus and C. algeriensis) should be grown in an alpine house or frame in the UK, according to Mathew, as it is not very vigorous. It is native to the Sierra Nevada and Sierra de San Cristoval of Spain, and also grows in Morocco, and in Algeria in Oran. Photos by John Lonsdale.
Crocus olivieri was named after botanist Guillaume Olivier, who collected it on an Aegean island. This species also grows in the Balkans, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey. Subspecies olivieri has unmarked flowers, but subspecies balansae has dark markings on the backs of the perianths. Photos by John Lonsdale.
Crocus paschei comes from the Taurus Mountains of Turkey. Photos by John Lonsdale.
Crocus pestalozzae comes from northwestern Turkey. It was named in honor of Italian doctor Fortunato Pestalozza, who botanized in Italy and Syria in the 1800s. In the first photo you can see the dark spots at the base of the filaments which are a distinctive feature of this species. The fourth photo is of forma caeruleus, which is pale blue and is found near Istanbul. Photos by John Lonsdale.
Crocus reticulatus has strong stripes on the outside of the flower. It has a broad range, from Eastern Europe to the Caucasus and Turkey. Bowles wrote, "it is unfortunately rather a weakling in cultivation and seldom holds its own in the open ground." The photos show subspecies hitticus, which has very distinctive dark anthers. It comes from southern Turkey. Photos by John Lonsdale.
Crocus rujanensis is shown flowering in a bulb frame in Oregon in late January. These plants were grown from seed supplied by Jim & Jenny Archibald. Photo by Jane McGary. This species has purple flowers with a yellow throat and is from Serbia and Macedonia.
Crocus sieberi is a spring flowering crocus. Three forms which adapt well to cultivation in UK gardens, increasing to form clumps when suited.
Crocus sieberi ssp. atticus is from Greece and has lilac-blue flowers. Photograph by Tony Goode.
Crocus sieberi ssp. sublimus is from Greece, Macedonia, Albania and Bulgaria.
Crocus sieberi ssp. sublimus 'Tricolor' - Photos #1-3 are taken by Mark McDonough of plants flowering in his garden, spring 2002, Pepperell, Massachusetts, USA. The overhead view, as well as the profile views reveal the beautiful coloration of this fine crocus. This cultivar adapts well to cultivation in UK gardens forming clumps. Photo #4 is taken by Arnold Trachtenberg and #5 is taken by Tony Goode.
Crocus sieberi 'Bowles White', photographed by Tony Goode.
Crocus sieberi 'Hubert Edelsten' is a cross between ssp. atticus and ssp. sieberi, photographed by Tony Goode.
Crocus sieheanus is from south-central Turkey in the Taurus Mountains at 1,200-2,000 meters (3,500-6,000 feet). Tony Goode recommends that it be given plenty of moisture in spring but a long dry rest in summer. Photo by John Lonsdale.
Crocus index - Fall Blooming crocus A-H - Fall Blooming crocus I-O - Fall Blooming crocus P-Z - Spring Blooming crocus A-B - Spring Blooming crocus C-E - Spring Blooming Crocus F-L - Spring Blooming crocus T-Z