Two 2-toned Crocus

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Unspoiled by this year's (2002) early spring snow and ice which zapped some of the earliest crocus,
these two crocus flowered later and missed the worst of the weather (photos taken April 6, 2002).
Both of the crocus shown above have enchanting two-toned or tri-toned flowers.  

The top row shows a grouping of crocus purchased simply as Crocus 'Violet Queen', 
and the bottom row is Crocus sieberi sublimis 'Tricolor'.  From a web search, I found several photos
of C. sieberi 'Violet Queen', which has light violet flowers and the characteristic yellow center of the
species.  Therefore I conclude that the bulbs I purchased as 'Violet queen', as shown above, were
probably mislabeled at the garden center where I bought them. It's been speculated that the crocus
depicted above in the top row, is likely to be a C. vernus or C. tommasinianus hybrid.

Researching the 'Tricolor' cultivar yields a variety of name combinations such as,
 C. sieberi ssp. sublimis f. tricolor, and in the Phillips & Rix 'Bulbs' book, it is listed simply as
C. sieberi forma tricolor, both suggesting that it's a true taxonomic entity (a forma) rather than a
cultivar. However, most current references for this crocus list it as C. sieberi sublimis 'Tricolor'.
 Both are beautiful crocus for the spring garden.

Views of Crocus chrysanthus 'Prins Claus' from 2001.

To find out everything you ever wanted to know about crocus,
visit The Crocus Page, Tony Goode's superb website dedicated to the genus.

All photos by Mark McDonough