Plant Profile: Kotschy’s Crocus (Crocus kotschyanus aka C. zonatus)

Native to  parts of Turkey, Syria and Lebanon, this perennial corm is a member of the iris family, Iridaceae, that also includes gladiola, freesia, and crocosmia. Plants produce goblet-shaped pale lilac flowers with yellow throat and creamy-yellow stamens in autumn or early winter.  The grass-like leaves appear after the flowers and remain to replenish the corm. The plants are rampant self-seeders which sometimes results in undersized flowers.  Additionally, virus infected corms may produce undersized and deformed flowers.  When well grown, these crocuses are attractive in beds, borders, and gravel, rock, and container gardens and add color when few other plants are blooming.  The genus name, Crocus, is from  the Greek word κρόκος, krokos meaning thread and refers to the appearance of the stigmas.  The specific epithet, kotschyanus, honors Theodor Kotschy (1801-1887), Austrian botanist, plant-collector and traveller in North Africa and western Asia.