The word "saffron" is translated from Arab as "yellow", such color paint was done of snouts of flowers of crocus. And the word "crocus" old Greek, also designates "thread". The fact is that the snouts of flowers which are dried up for paint became thin as threads.
There is a lot of types of crocus. Conditionally they can be separated on blossoming time: there are spring, blossom in April, and autumn, blossoming in September. Many grades of crocus are included in the Red List because became rather rare. For example, the crocus fine or crocus striped belongs to such types.
Vesennetsvetushchy crocuses
Enter into this group: crocus spring, Geufel's crocus, crocus yellow, Tomazini's crocus and crocus narrow-leaved.
The crocus spring reaches 17 cm in height, and leaves at it appear during blossoming. 1-2 flowers of kolokolchato-funnel-shaped form with diameter from 3.5 to 5 cm grow from one bulb. Color at lobes white or lilac, also striped coloring meet. The flower has long tube – snout which by 2-3 times exceeds longwise bending shares. The spring crocus from 20 to 25 days in the third or fourth week of April blossoms. However in the southern areas the period of blossoming can move for the end of February.
Geufel's crocus is meadow flower which has received the name by the name of botany, living in the 19th century. Grows in Transcarpathia and the areas of Western Europe adjoining to it. In height reaches 10-12 cm, from one bulb about 2-3 flowers turn out. Flowers of violet color, diameter – up to 7 cm. Geufel's crocus is considered one of the largest, it does not concede also to the Dutch hybrids. Leaves also appear during blossoming and grow to 2-5 cm.
The crocus yellow is rather high – to 20 cm, from bulb it will turn out up to 3 flowers of orange color though also versions meet gray-purple strips. Flowers up to 4 cm in the diameter, scyphoid, reveal completely.
Tomazini's crocus grows on shady slopes of hills or in deciduous forests of Hungary and Yugoslavia. 3 flowers of pinkish-lilac shade with white border on lobes grow from one bulb. Blossoms right after snow descends. Leaves appear early, by the period of blossoming grow to 7 cm. Several grades have this appearance of crocus and it is most often grown up in America and Europe.
The crocus narrow-leaved is undersized plant, the highest representatives of this type of saffron grow only to 10 cm. Flowers light yellow with bright yellow spot on the center. Have the cup-shaped form, diameter to 2.5 cm, lobes narrow, oval, but with sharp tops. Such saffron blossoms is abundant and long.
Osennetsvetushchy crocuses
This group is made by three types of crocus: fine, sowing and Banat. The first of them, crocus fine, in nature grows at the edges of the mountain woods in Asia Minor, in the Caucasus, the Balkans and in the Crimea. 30 days blossom long. Flowers large, up to 7 cm in the diameter of lilac-violet color, lobes with longitudinal purple streaks. Has different grades: with lilac, white, dark blue, blue and light-violet flowers.
The sowing campaign crocus in the nature grows in India, Asia and Western Asia. Depending on weather patterns the blossoming begins in September or in October, about 14 days last. Pale violet flowers.
The crocus Banat grows in forests and on mountain meadows of Romania and Yugoslavia. Has received the name in honor of the Area of Banat which is located on border of two of these countries. Leaves at the Banat crocus of linear form, long – up to 15 cm, flowers light lilac. From one bulb 1-2 flowers turn out. Blossoming begins at the end of September and about a month lasts.
When choosing crocus for landing on the garden site it is important to pay attention not only to color and the size of flowers, but also for blossoming. If competently to pick up saffron grades, it is possible to achieve that beds blossomed continuously almost whole month.