All About Crocus Flowers
Crocuses are one of the most beautiful families of flower, which are grown inside houses or in gardens apart from hilly areas. They usually grow in sub alpine and Mediterranean areas in Europe, North Africa, central Asia and western parts of china. The crocuses are considered under the iris family botanically. Crocuses generally come or grow from corms and they are found in large range of habitats, which includes meadows, scrubs and woodlands. More than eighty varieties of crocuses are available throughout the world, out of which 30 are usually cultivated.
They are in cup shape and are solitary flowers that have a narrow tube. These flowers have a large and enormous variety of colors like yellow, lilac, white and mauve, which are predominant. They have grass like leaf that has a white lining or stripe in the axis of the leaf. Crocuses generally have three stamens. The spice saffron that we use are obtained from the stigmas of crocuses. Some crocus blooms with the fall of autumn or rain, after the summer heat and draught and are called autumn crocus. This falls under the lily family; those have six stamens and are known as meadow saffron. The prairie crocus belongs to the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae).
The crocus flowers that are typically autumn species grow between September and November in some parts of the northern hemisphere. There are generally five species of crocus is cultivated and they are very popular with the gardeners for their beauty and yield. Although many may be wondering how these delicate looking beauties grow well in winter and stay protected under snow, it is because of their waxy protective layers. In areas where it snows the flowers bloom in early spring and it is easy to find the flowers bloom in the snow.
Most crocus plants should be planted in well-drained soils. They show best results only when exposed to a fair amount of sun. However, a few species of the crocuses need moist soil and shadier areas. Corms of crocuses survive the rough winters if they are placed three to four centimeters deep in soil. A few types of crocus which may be hybrids and can become weed-like growths. Rock gardens are typical example of such growths, and they can become difficult to remove. Crocus was first cultivated and documented in the Mediterranean notably on the island of Crete. In 1560s holy roman emperors ambassador brought crocus from Constantinople to Netherlands.
Brian Mathews produced the taxonomic classification in 1982, which was mainly based on the presence, or absence of a prophyll. Most crocuses yield economically beneficial part, the saffron, which can be used to add flavor and make food preparation tastier. Some foods, which gets tastier with saffron includes tea, rice preparations and curries. The saffron adds to the brightness of the crocus flowers. Being located in the center of the petals it is the saffron which lights up landscapes and snow covered terrace. While planting them one has to take some precautions to ensure that, the flower does not loose their luster due to inappropriate soil condition and temperature. The name of the flower comes from the Greek term krokos, which means saffron yellow.