Crocus L.
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.293845 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03BD9943-FFE3-FFC5-CB55-F752F9608C41 |
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treatment provided by |
Plazi |
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scientific name |
Crocus L. |
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7. Crocus L. View in CoL 3
Corm usually symmetrical, enclosed by several tunics of variable texture and colour. Cataphylls up to 5, sheathing the aerial shoot. Leaves appearing with or after the flowers. Leaves all basal, flat or canaliculate on the upper surface; lower surface usually strongly keeled, usually with 2 grooves. Scape absent. Flower one to several, each on a short, subterranean pedicel which is sometimes subtended by a membranous, sheathing prophyll. Bract membranous; bracteole similar or reduced or absent. Perianth regular; tube long and narrow, glabrous or with a ring of hairs in the throat at the insertion of the filaments; segments usually subequal. Anthers usually extrorse. Style 3-lobed to multifid. Ovary subterranean. Capsule cylindrical or ellipsoid, maturing at or above ground level by elongation of pedicel. Seeds numerous, usually globose or ellipsoid, brownish or reddish, with a strophiole.
Literature: W. Herbert, Jour. Hort. Soc. (London) 2: 249-293 (1847). G. Maw, A Monograph of the genus Crocus . London. 1886. E. A. Bowles, A Handbook of Crocus and Colchicum . London. 1924.
The following key does not take into account albino plants, which occur sporadically in populations of practically all species.
1 Flowers produced from September to January; never wholly yellow
2 Inner and outer perianth-segments very unequal; anthers introrse 43. banaticus
2 Inner and outer perianth-segments equal or subequal; anthers extrorse
3 Corm-tunic with obvious non-fibrous rings at base; upper tunic never fibrous
4 Style divided into 3 branches (23-25). bifiorus group 4 Style divided into more than 3 branches
5 Anthers white; filaments densely pubescent
42. pulchellus 5 Anthers yellow; filaments glabrous or minutely papillose
41. speciosus 3 Corm-tunic without rings, or with fibrous rings at base; tunic sometimes fibrous
6 Anthers and pollen white (discolouring with age)
7 Corm-tunic tough and coriaceous, splitting into acute, triangular teeth at base; filaments glabrous, or papillose only at base 36. laevigatus
7 Corm-tunic papery, laciniate at base; filaments papillose or pubescent for most of their length
8 Flowers lilac-blue; filaments densely pubescent; flowers remaining open at night 38. tournefortii 8 Flowers creamy-white, sometimes veined or tinged with purple; filaments papillose-pubescent; flowers closing in dim light 37. boryi 6 Anthers and pollen yellow
9 Outer corm-tunics smooth and coriaceous, completely non-fibrous but splitting at base into coarse teeth
32. goulimyi 9 Outer corm-tunics fibrous at least in part, and laciniate at base
10 Fibres of outer corm-tunic parallel, not at all reticulate
11 Leaves not developed at anthesis; perianth-tube
(5-)10-22(-29) cm 34. nudiflorus 11 Leaves at least partially developed at anthesis, though sometimes concealed by scale-leaves; perianth-tube
3-11 cm
12 Leaves less than 1 mm wide; perianth-segments
1 -4-l-8(-2-l) cm 4. cambessedesii 12 Leaves at least 1 mm wide; perianth-segments
2- 3-6 cm 33. serotinus 10 Fibres of outer corm-tunic finely to coarsely reticulate, sometimes obscurely so
13 Style deeply divided into 3 simple branches, not at all subdivided at the apex
14 Bract and bracteole present, white-membranous,
rather flaccid, not closely sheathing the perianthtube (26-29). cartwrightianus group 14 Bracteole absent; bract usually greenish, closely sheathing the perianth-tube 31. longiflorus 13 Style divided into more than 3 branches, or rather obscurely divided, or deeply branched with each branch lobed or expanded and fimbriate
15 Throat of perianth deep yellow; segments white,
rarely pale lilac; corm-tunic finely fibrous 30. niveus 15 Throat of perianth pale yellow, white or lilac; segments lilac to purple, rarely white; corm-tunic very coarsely fibrous
16 Bracteole present and visible; throat of perianth usually pale yellow
17 Style distinctly divided into several slender branches; perianth usually with distinctly darker veins 39. cancellatus 17 Style obscurely and shallowly divided into c. 3
branches, each much expanded and fimbriate;
perianth without darker veins 40. robertianus 16 Bracteole absent; throat of perianth white or lilac
18 Leaves not developed at anthesis; corm with a persistent, long, dark brown papery neck 35. médius 18 Leaves usually developed at anthesis, but sometimes only the tips showing; corm without papery neck
33. serotinus 1 Flowers produced from January to July
19 Flowers wholly yellow or orange, sometimes striped or tinged with purple or brown outside
20 Corm-tunic fibrous
21 Fibres of tunic tough and very coarsely reticulate
16. angustifolius 21 Fibres of tunic delicate and finely reticulate 22 Leaves up to 1 mm wide, with no white central stripe; corm with a long, fibrous neck 19. scardicus 22 Leaves 1-3 mm wide, with a white central stripe; corm without a long neck 18. cvijicii 20 Corm-tunic papery or coriaceous, sometimes splitting longitudinally
23 Styledivided clearlyinto 6 slenderbranches 22. olivieri 23 Style divided clearly into 3 branches, or obscurely divided and expanded at the apex
24 Corm-tunic splitting into rings at the base, scarcely splitting vertically; leaves 0-5-2-5 mm wide
(23-25). bifiorus group 24 Corm-tunic with no rings at the base, splitting vertically; leaves 2- 5^4 mm wide 21. fiavus 19 Flowers not wholly yellow or orange, but sometimes with a yellow throat
25 Leaves semi-terete, with several shallow grooves on the abaxial surface 12. carpetanus 25 Leaves with1 deep groove on each side ofthe flatfish abaxial surface
26 Stigma whitish, obscurely3-lobed, the lobes expanded and fimbriate 11. nevadensis 26 Stigma yellow to reddish-orange,usually divided into 3 or more distinct branches
27 Bract and bracteole present, equal or subequal in length and width
28 Anthers creamy-white; corm-tunic smooth and coriaceous, with no obvious basal rings but splitting into triangular teeth 36. laevigatus 28 Anthers yellow; corm-tunic fibrous, papery or coriaceous
29 Corm-tunic with obvious non-fibrous rings at base
(23-25). bifiorus group 29 Corm-tunic without obvious non-fibrous rings at base
30 Throat of perianth yellow
31 Corm-tunic of parallel fibres, or rather papery
2. imperati 31 Corm-tunic of reticulate fibres
32 Flowers white or pale lilac-blue, with prominent dark stripes outside 17. reticulatus 32 Flowers white, lilac or purple, sometimes with darker veins or transverse bands but not with prominent dark stripes
33 Leaves l-2(-3) mm wide; flowers usually buff or silvery outside, sometimes with dark veins
15. dalmaticus 33 Leaves 1 - 5-6 mm wide; flowers white or lilac outside, sometimes banded or tinged with purple
13. sieberi 30 Throat of perianth white or lilac
34 Corm-tunic papery or with parallel fibres
4. cambessedesii 34 Corm-tunic with reticulate fibres
35 Flowers strongly marked with dark stripes externally; corm-tunic with very coarse fibres
17. reticulatus 35 Flowers not striped externally; corm-tunic with fine fibres
36 Flowers white or cream 18. cvijicii 36 Flowers lilac to violet, rarely white tinged with purple at base
37 Leaves with a white central stripe; corm without a long neck 14. veluchensis 37 Leaves without a white central stripe; corm with a long, fibrous neck 20. pelistericus 27 Bracteole absent or much shorter or narrower than bract
38 Outer corm-tunics coriaceous or papery, with distinct rings at the base (23-25). bifiorus group 38 Outer corm-tunics fibrous
39 Bracteole present and visible, but much narrower than the bract
40 Throat deep yellow; perianth-segments without dark veins and stripes outside 1. malyi
40 Throat white or pale yellow; perianth-segments with dark veins and stripes outside
41 Leaves 0-5-1 mm wide, green; usually longer than flower; throat of perianth white 5. minimus
41 Leaves more than 1 mm wide, greyish-green, usually not well-developed at anthesis and shorter than flower; throat of perianth usually yellow
3. versicolor 39 Bracteole absent, or completely concealed by the bract 42 Throat of perianth yellow
43 Fibres of tunic distinctly reticulate, at least at the apex of the corm
44 Corm-tunic entirely reticulate, fibres robust; throat of perianth sparsely pubescent 9. etruscus
44 Corm-tunic reticulate at apex only, fibres delicate;
throat of perianth glabrous 10. kosaninii
43 Fibres of tunic parallel
45 Leaves greyish-green, with distinct ribs in the grooves on the abaxial surface 3. versicolor
45 Leaves deep green, without ribs in the grooves on the abaxial surface 2. imperati 42 Throat of perianth white, lilac or purple
46 Leaves 0-5-1-5 mm wide 6. corsicus
46 Leaves (2—)4—8 mm wide
47 Style divided into 3 branches, each branch shortly lobed 3. versicolor
47 Style shortly divided into 3 branches, each branch fimbriate at apex
48 Flowers lilac-blue or purple, with a white perianthtube 8. tommasinianus
48 Flowers wholly white or lilac or purple, or white with a coloured perianth-tube 7. vemus
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.