Leaves 4-8 mm wide, emerging with flowers. Perianth white to deep purple, or striped; segments oblanceolate, obtuse, 3-5.5 cm long; tube 7-15 cm long, same colour as segments; spring. Anthers yellow. Style branches 3, gold to orange-red, forked at tips, much longer than stamens.
C and S Europe.
subsp. albiflorus (Kit.) Asch. & Graebn. Perianth pure white.
subsp. vernus Perianth lilac to purple.
DUTCH HYBRIDS have flowers up to 10 cm wide and were produced mainly from C. flavus and C. vernus or attributed to the latter. They include:
C. corsicus Vanucci from Corsica has leaves to 1.5 mm wide, emerging before flowers. Perianth mauve to purple; segments elliptic, subacute, 2-4 cm long, obtuse, the outer 3 striped dark purple on back; tube 4-7 cm long, white; spring. Anthers yellow. Style branches 3, orange-red, expanded at the tips.
C. minimus DC. From Corsica and Sardinia has leaves 0.5-1 mm wide, emerging before flowers. Perianth purple with white or lilac throat; segments 2-3 cm long, narrowly elliptic, obtuse, the outer 3 yellowish and purple-marked externally; tube 5-11 cm long, white; late winter. Anthers yellow. Style branches 3, yellow-orange, expanded at tips.
Source: (2005). Iridaceae. In: . Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 5. Flowering plants. Monocotyledons. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.
A 17th century triploid hybrid of c. flavus and c. angustifolius; it is larger than c. flavus with clear yellow perianth segments marked with brown on the outside at base. ['Yellow Giant']
Flowers sky blue.
Flowers clear dark purple with darker base.
Arc' Flowers pure white with violet flush at base, small gold stigma.
Crocus vernus 'King Of The Whites'
Very large white flowers with broad perianth segments.
Flowers with a prominent white stigma.
Perianth white, heavily veined purple, large orange stigma.
Early-flowering with dark violet-purple perianth.
