Description of Etruscan crocus planting and care, cultivation

Description of Etruscan crocus planting and care, cultivationDepartment: angiosperms (Magnoliophyta).

Class: monocotyledons (Monocotyledones).

Procedure: asparagus (Asparagales).

Family: iris (Iridaceae).

Sort by: crocus (Crocus).

Type: Etruscan crocus (C. etruscus).

Etruscan crocus is a bulbous perennial up to 10 cm high. According to its description, the crocus is similar to all herbaceous plants of the Iris family. In this article, we will introduce you to the developmental biology, application and meaning of crocus, tell you how much crocus bloom, and also provide an opportunity to see a photo of crocus flowers.

The leaves are thin, linear, up to 0,8 cm wide and up to 10 cm long. There can be three or four of them on one plant.

Description of Etruscan crocus planting and care, cultivationDescription of Etruscan crocus planting and care, cultivation

Pay attention to the photo of crocus flowers – they are all single, bisexual, regular, bell-shaped, up to 8 cm long. Tepals are purple, inside with thin purple veins, in the lower part are spliced ​​into a narrow tube. The stamens and pistil are long, thin, bright orange. The fruit is an oblong box up to 2,5 cm long with several small rounded seeds.

Etruscan crocus is found only in Italy: in the center and south of Tuscany, in the provinces of Grosseto, Livorno, Pisa and Siena. The area of ​​the natural range is about 120 km2, the populations are small and fragmented. Most of the finds are from the mountains of Monte Calvi, Monte Leoni, Monte Amiata and Massa Marittima. The species lives mainly in deciduous forests with a predominance of oak and chestnut at an altitude of 600 m above sea level.

How many crocuses bloom

The Etruscan crocus reproduces by seeds and vegetatively by daughter ones. Crocuses bloom from February to April, pollinated by insects. The ovary is underground. In May – June, when the fruit is ripe, the stem begins to stretch and pushes it to the surface. The capsule cracks, the seeds spill out on the ground and germinate near the mother plant.

Crocus saffron

Crocus saffron is one of the oldest and most expensive spices, which is the dried stigmas of the pistils of the common crocus (C. sativus). It is popular all over the world, but primarily in the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Central Asia. Most of the crocus plantations are located in Iran, Spain, Turkey and Greece. As a rule, crocus saffron is added to rice, dough products, soups and alcoholic beverages. In addition to the spicy taste, it gives the dishes a pleasant yellow color, which is obtained due to the high content of crocetin, a pigment from the carotenoid group.

The meaning and application of crocus

Crocus is widely used in landscape design. These plants adorn flower beds in early spring, when most other plants have not yet bloomed, or in late autumn, when many have already faded.

Description of Etruscan crocus planting and care, cultivationDescription of Etruscan crocus planting and care, cultivation

In total, there are more than 300 varieties, most of them are obtained on the basis of spring crocuses (C.vernus), golden (C. chrysanthus), yellow (C. flavus) and two-flowered (C. biflorus). The Etruscan crocus feels good in culture. For its beauty and unpretentiousness, he was awarded the Garden Merit Award from the Royal Society of Gardeners of Great Britain.

The name of the genus Crocus in translation from Greek means “thread”, and the word “saffron” in an approximate translation from Arabic means “yellow”. In ancient times, expensive fabrics and shoes were dyed with saffron. It was presented to kings and noble persons as a symbol of power and wealth.

In antiquity, saffron was considered an aphrodisiac, and crocus was also of great importance in the treatment of respiratory diseases, digestive disorders and black melancholy (depression).

It was taken internally and added to bath water.

Crocus bulbs are eagerly eaten by wild boars. Another potential threat to the plant is the disturbance of its habitats by humans. Most populations are stable today, but may worsen in the near future.

The legend of the crocus flower

According to the ancient legend of the crocus flower, that was the name of the young man who fell in love with the nymph Smilax and began to follow her on her heels, singing sad songs. Soon the girl got bored with it, and she asked the gods to save her from the obsessive gentleman. The crocus was turned into a flower, in the middle of which a tongue of flame seemed to lurk.

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Anna Evans

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