Provence-Beyond (Beyond the French Riviera) ®
A walk through the Flowers
[Flora Terms]
| Crocus biflorus | family: Iridaceae (Iris) |
To 10 cm. This short crocus can be white or lilac, with from 1 to 3 flowers per plant.
We don't yet have photos; what we thought were Crocus Biflorus turned out to be (noted by a reader) the Bulbocodium Vernum (photo, left). The Crocus Biflorus would be almost the same, but with narrower leaves, and perhaps the petals would not fall as open in the older plants.
Flowers
Feb-Apr. The petals are often differently colored inside and outside, with dark stripes on the outsides, and are honey fragrant. The inner and outer tepals are oftend differently colored, and the outer tepals usually have dark brown or purple stripes, yellowish at the throat.
Leaves
From 3 to 5 slender (0.5-2.5 mm) leaves sprout vertically from the base, before the flowers appear.
Habitat
Rocky and grassy areas, open woods.
