Crocus tommasinianus

Elf crocus (Crocus tommasinianus )

The elves crocus (Crocus tommasinianus ) or Dalmatian crocus is a plant of the genus Crocus (Crocus ) in the family of Iris Family ( Iridaceae ). The specific epithet honors tommasinianus a native of Trieste Austro-Hungarian politician and botanist Joseph Mutius alcohol Ritter von Tommasini (1794-1879), who has rendered outstanding services to the study of the flora of Dalmatia.

Features

The elves crocus is a perennial herbaceous plant that reaches the heights of growth 7-17 centimeters. This Geophyt forms tubers than outlasting. The basal leaves are parallel-veined; they have the white center stripe, the almost all species of the genus.

The hermaphroditic flowers are grown threefold in the lower part to a long tube; It has a diameter of 2 to 3 millimeters. The six bracts are equal diverse. The Perigonzipfel are 25 to 45 millimeters long, 8-20 mm wide, single color ( pale ) violet to purple, the outside is often lighter, and they are not striped. The throat is white hairs and scattered.

The flowering period extends from February to March. The elves Crocus is one of the earliest flowering Crocus species.

Occurrence

The elves Crocus comes in southern Hungary, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia and Bulgaria in fresh, summer-green deciduous forests and shady rock benches at altitudes of (300) 1000 bis 1500 meters before. This species is usually found on limestone. In Western and Central Europe they became naturalized as Stinsenpflanze.

Use

The elves Crocus is widely used as an ornamental plant in groups of trees, borders, rock gardens and parks. The species is in cultivation since at least 1847. There are several varieties with different flower colors, purple, for example, lavender with white tips or white.