Crocus vernus (L.) Hill (syn.: C. albiflorus Kit. ex Schult., C. albifrons Kit., C. purpureus Weston, C. vernus All.) (mountains of S and C-Eur.) – Commonly planted in private and public gardens (usually in lawns), parks and old estates. Rarely naturalized but probably more frequent than Crocus tommasinianus. In the surroundings of Lommel and Achel formerly introduced with Alpine grass seed in floodplains (along with Campanula rhomboidalis L., Cirsium rivulare (Jacq.) All. and others), probably in the 19th century (Van Landuyt 2006). See also Lambinon (1980). Furthermore known in abundance from lawns at the Archbishop’s Palace in Mechelen (Verloove 2002). Poorly known and probably overlooked elsewhere.
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Selected literature:
Brighton C.A. (1976) Cytological problems in the genus Crocus (Iridaceae): 1. Crocus vernus aggregate. Kew Bull. 31(1): 33-46.
Chichiricco G. (1990) Self-incompatibility in Crocus vernus subsp. vernus (Iridaceae)., Pl. Syst. Evol. 172: 77-82.
Frello S. & Heslop Harrison J.S. (2000) Repetitive DNA sequences in Crocus vernus Hill (Iridaceae): the genomic organization and distribution of dispersed elements in the genus Crocus and its allies. Genome 43(5): 902-909.
Frello S. & Heslop Harrison J.S. (2000) Chromosomal variation in Crocus vernus Hill (Iridaceae) investigated by in situ hybridization of rDNA and a tandemly repeated sequence. Ann. Bot. (UK) 86(2): 317-322.
Kujat R. & Rafinski J.N. (1978) Seed coat structure of Crocus vernus agg. (Iridaceae)., Pl. Syst. Evol. 129: 255-260.
Lambinon J. (1980) à propos de la publication de « Flora Europaea » volume 5. Remarques chorologiques, taxonomiques et nomenclaturales concernant la flore de la Belgique et des régions voisines. Natura Mosana 34(2): 80-104.
Seifert E. (2014) Zur Biologie, Benennung und Herkunft des Frühlings-Krokus (Crocus vernus (L) Hill.) in Drebach (Erzgebirge) : Erforschtes und Ungeklärtes / Veröffentlichungen des Museums für Naturkunde Chemnitz 37: 11-54.
Van Landuyt W. (2006b) Crocus vernus. In: Van Landuyt W., Hoste I., Vanhecke L., Van den Bremt P., Vercruysse W. & De Beer D., Atlas van de Flora van Vlaanderen en het Brussels Gewest. Instituut voor natuur- en bosonderzoek, Nationale Plantentuin van België en Flo.Wer: 320.
Verloove F. (2002) Ingeburgerde plantensoorten in Vlaanderen. Mededeling van het Instituut voor Natuurbehoud n° 20: 227 p.