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Common Name:

General Information

Crocus serotinus is a Corm up to 0.05 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of materials.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Southern Europe to Northern Africa and Western Asia.

Habitat

Stony slopes in scrub and open pine woods[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Corm
Height	0.05 m
Pollinators	Bees, butterFlies
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Succeeds in most soils, conditions and positions[]. Plants grow well in a peaty soil in a bulb frame and should succeed outdoors in a sandy peaty soil[]. The subspecies C. serotinus austriacus can be naturalized in grass or beneath deep rooting trees on light well-drained soils[].
Plants tend to move considerably from their original planting place because of their means of vegetative reproduction, it is therefore wise not to grow different species in close proximity[].
Any planting out is best done in late spring or early summer[].
Mice are very fond of the corms of this species[].
Plants take 3 - 4 years to flower from seed[].
The flowers are only open during the day time, closing at night[].

Edible Uses

The flowers are used as a saffron substitute in flavouring food and colouring it yellow[, ].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The yellow dye obtained from the stigmas yields a yellow dye, it is a saffron substitute[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a light sandy soil in pots in a cold frame[]. The seed can also be sown in a cold frame in early spring[]. Sow thinly because the seed usually germinates freely[], within 1 - 6 months at 18°c[]. Unless the seed has been sown too thickly, do not transplant the seedlings in their first year of growth, but give them regular liquid feeds to make sure they do not become deficient. Divide the small bulbs once the plants have died down, planting 2 - 3 bulbs per 8cm pot. Grow them on for another 2 years in a greenhouse or frame and plant them out into their permanent positions when dormant in late summer[]. Plants take 3 - 4 years to flower from seed[].
Division f the clumps after the leaves die down in spring[, ]. The bulbs can be planted out direct into their permanent positions.