Description
(Crocus serotinus salzmannii )
Propagated from seed of JJA.352.099 a population found and first talked about by the late Jim Archibald. Jim’s notes from the time are as follows:-
“A strongly stoloniferous race from alpine-turf. We came across it in 1970 but, other than recording its existence, no-one has thought it worth distinguishing. We have not seen any other quite like it but the C. serotinus group is more than a little complicated. Small corms with long, couch-grass-like stolons. Profuse, pale lilac flowers in autumn.”
The plant is exactly as described by Jim and our photos of this exact stock, raised from Jim’s seed were taken here. There is little I can add except to emphasise that the formation of stolons is not typical for Crocus salzmannii and that this is a strain (it is not clonal) but one in which all of the plants appear stoloniferous. In our conditions, this is our first salzmannii to flower, in the last days of September and into early October.
Jim’s original seed came from Spain, Granada, Sierra Nevada below Penones de San Francisco. 2300m. Turf in NW-facing depression.
