Description
The earliest species of all to flower, in January. Large, pure white (rarely palest pink) flowers over patterned leaves. This is related to dens-canis but it has substantially larger flowers that appear 6-8 weeks earlier. These have bright yellow pollen, (and not the blue pollen of dens-canis).
Happy in a well-drained, moisture retentive and humus-rich soil in half shade, though slow to increase. It has been said to be difficult in some gardens but it needs really to be left alone, undisturbed to increase and set seed.
Raised from a few plants found by the late Vladimir Vasak (without a collector’s number) in the Sotschi District of Abkhazia, in the lower Caucasus Mountains.
