biology

List of Crocus species

List of Crocus species is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand List of Crocus species rather than just read about it. In short: This list of Crocus species shows the accepted species names within the genus Crocus, which are predominantly spring perennial plants in the Iridaceae (iris) family. The list of species is arranged by section.

Key takeaways

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Reference excerpt

This list of Crocus species shows the accepted species names within the genus Crocus, which are predominantly spring perennial plants in the Iridaceae (iris) family. The list of species is arranged by section. Estimates of the number of species in Crocus have varied widely, from anywhere between 80 and 160, even in the modern era. Carl Linnaeus originally included two species in 1753, but new species continue to be identified. The deep phylogenetic infrageneric relationships remain unresolved. When subjected to molecular phylogenetic analysis, the sections are well supported but only some of the series. Ongoing, more detailed examination of the various series is leading to a recircumscription, with increasing monophyly. Species segregate to form a basal polytomy of four subclades (A–D). The first clade (A) corresponding to section Crocus, but including C. sieberi and several closely related species (originally included in section Nudiscapus series Reticulati). The remaining three clades (B-D) include all the remaining species of section Nudiscapus. Of these, B and C are small, corresponding to series Orientales and Carpetani respectively, with all remaining series in the large D clade.

Sections, series and species Classification of Brian Mathew (1982), amended 2009 and including more recent additions. Series marked with * indicate those known to be monophyletic.

Section Crocus B.Mathew (Clade A) Species with a basal prophyll. Type species C. sativus L.

*Series Verni B.Mathew

Type species C. vernus (L.) Hill: corms with reticulated fibers, spring-flowering (apart from Crocus longiflorus), flowers for the most part without conspicuous outer striping, bracts absent Crocus bertiscensis Raca, Harpke, Shuka & V. Randjel. Crocus etruscus Parl. Crocus heuffelianus Herb. Crocus ilvensis Peruzzi & Carta Crocus kosaninii Pulevic Crocus longiflorus Raf. – Italian crocus (formerly in Series Longiflori) Crocus neapolitanus (Ker Gawl.) Loisel. Crocus neglectus Peruzzi and Carta Crocus siculus Tineo ex Guss. Crocus tommasinianus Herb. – Woodland crocus, Tommasini's crocus Crocus vernus (L.) Hill (=C. sativus var. vernus L.; C. vernus sensu stricto ) – Spring crocus, Dutch crocus

*Series Baytopi B.Mathew

(new Series) Type species Crocus baytopiorum: corms with strongly reticulated fibers; leaves numerous, narrowly linear; spring-flowering, bracts absent; anthers extrorsely dehiscent Crocus baytopiorum Mathew (formerly in Series Verni)

*Series Scardici B.Mathew

Type species Crocus scardicus: spring-flowering, leaves have no pale stripe on the upper surface Crocus pelistericus Pulevic Crocus scardicus Kos.

Series Versicolores B.Mathew

Type species Crocus versicolor: : spring-flowering, corms with tunics, which for the most part have parallel fibers, flowers with conspicuous exterior striping Crocus cambessedesii J. Gay Crocus versicolor Ker Gawl. – cloth-of-silver crocus Crocus corsicus Vanucchi ex Maw Crocus imperati Ten. Crocus imperati subsp. imperati Crocus imperati subsp. suaveolens (Bertol.) B.Mathew Crocus minimus DC.

*Series Kotschyani B.Mathew

Type species Crocus kotschyanus: : autumn-flowering, anthers white, styles for the most part three-forked Crocus autranii Albov. Crocus gilanicus B. Matthew (discovered in 1973 and named after Gilan province in Iran where it was first found) Crocus karduchorum Kotschy ex Maw Crocus kotschyanus K. Koch – Kotschy's crocus (syn. C. zonatus) Crocus kotschyanus subsp. cappadocicus B.Mathew Crocus kotschyanus subsp. hakkariensis B.Mathew Crocus kotschyanus subsp. kotschyanus Crocus kotschyanus subsp. suworowianus (K.Koch) B.Mathew Crocus ochroleucus Boiss. & Gaill. Crocus scharojanii Ruprecht Crocus scharojanii subsp. scharojanii Crocus scharojanii subsp. lazicus (Boiss.) B.Mathew Crocus vallicola Herb.

*Series Crocus

Type species Crocus sativus: autumn-flowering, anthers yellow, style distinctly three-branched Crocus asumaniae B. Mathew & T. Baytop Crocus cartwrightianus Herb. Crocus sativus L. – saffron crocus (a sterile triploid mutant or hybrid), presumably derived from Crocus cartwrightianus Crocus dispathaceus (Bowles) B.Mathew Crocus hadriaticus Herb. Crocus hadriaticus subsp. hadriaticus Crocus hadriaticus subsp. parnassicus (B.Mathew) B.Mathew Crocus hadriaticus subsp. parnonicus B.Mathew Crocus moabiticus Bornm. & Dinsmore ex Bornm. Crocus mathewii H. Kemdorff & E. Pasche (1994) Crocus naqabensis Al-Eisawi (2001) Crocus oreocreticus B.L. Burtt Crocus pallasii Goldb. Crocus pallasii subsp. haussknechtii (Boiss. & Reut. ex Maw) B.Mathew Crocus pallasii subsp. pallasii Crocus pallasii subsp. turcicus B.Mathew Crocus thomasii Ten.

Position unclear

Following 2009 revision of Mathew 1982. Crocus malyi Vis. (formerly in Series Versicolores) Crocus banaticus Heuff. (formerly in obsolete Subgenus Crociris) Former Series Longiflori B.Mathew Type species C. longiflorus Raf.: autumn-flowering, yellow anthers, styles much divided – now unplaced, and type species moved to series Verni Crocus goulimyi Turrill (see also Constantine Goulimis) Crocus ligusticus M.G. Mariotti (Syn. Crocus medius Balb.) Crocus niveus Bowles Crocus nudiflorus Smith. Crocus serotinus Salisb. – late crocus Crocus serotinus subsp. clusii (J.Gay) B.Mathew Crocus serotinus subsp. salzmannii (J.Gay) B.Mathew Crocus serotinus subsp. serotinus Crocus sieberi aggregate Crocus cvijicii Kos. Crocus dalmaticus Vis. Crocus jablanicensis N. Randj. & V. Randj. Crocus novicii V.Randjel. & Miljkovic Crocus robertianus C.D. Brickell Crocus rujanensis Randjel. & D.A. Hill Crocus sieberi J.Gay – Sieber's crocus, Cretan crocus Crocus sieberi subsp. atticus (Boiss. & Orph.) B.Mathew Crocus sieberi subsp. nivalis (Bory & Chaub.) B.Mathew Crocus sieberi subsp. sieberi Crocus sieberi subsp. sublimis (Herb.) B.Mathew Crocus veluchensis Herb.

Section Nudiscapus B.Mathew Species without a basal prophyll. Type species C. reticulatus Stev. ex Adams

Crocus lydius Kernd. & Pasche (unplaced)

*Series Orientales B.Mathew (Clade B)

Type species Crocus korolkowii: Corm with parallel fibers or lightly reticulated, numerous leaves, spring-flowering, style three-forked Crocus alatavicus Semenova & Reg. Crocus caspius Fischer & Meyer (formerly in Series Biflori) Crocus korolkowii Regel ex Maw – celandine crocus Crocus michelsonii B. Fedtsch.

*Series Carpetani B.Mathew (Clade C)

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with List of Crocus species

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what List of Crocus species claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to List of Crocus species before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about List of Crocus species ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of List of Crocus species

In research: List of Crocus species appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses List of Crocus species in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: List of Crocus species is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Crocus, Lists of plant species, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for List of Crocus species outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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Frequently asked questions

What is List of Crocus species in simple terms?

Why does List of Crocus species matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study List of Crocus species?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

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It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on List of Crocus species.