page_title: Crocus
section_title: Species
hierarchical_section_title: Crocus / Species
caption_attribution_description: English: Crocus sativus, taken in Osaka-fu, Japan 日本語: サフラン
context_page_description: Crocus is a genus of flowering plants in the iris family comprising 90 species of perennials growing from corms. Many are cultivated for their flowers appearing in autumn, winter, or spring. The spice saffron is obtained from the stigmas of Crocus sativus, an autumn-blooming species. Crocuses are native to woodland, scrub, and meadows from sea level to alpine tundra in North Africa and the Middle East, central and southern Europe, in particular Krokos, Greece, on the islands of the Aegean, and across Central Asia to Xinjiang Province in western China.
context_section_description: The taxonomic classification proposed by Brian Mathew in 1982 was based mainly on three character states: 
  the presence or absence of a prophyll (a basal spathe);
  the aspect of the style;
  the corm tunic.
  The seven species discovered since then have been integrated into this classification.
  Molecular analysis carried out at the University of Copenhagen suggests this classification should be reviewed. In particular, the DNA data suggest there are no grounds for isolating C. banaticus in its own subgenus Crociris, though it is a unique species in the genus. Because it has a prophyll at the base of the pedicel, it therefore would fall within section Crocus, although its exact relationship to the rest of the subgenus remains unclear.
  Another anomalous species, C. baytopiorum, should now be placed in a series of its own, series Baytopi. C. gargaricus subsp. herbertii has been raised to species status, as C. herbertii. Perhaps most surprisingly, autumn-flowering C. longiflorus, the type species of series Longiflori (long regarded by Mathew as "a disparate assemblage"), now seems to lie within series Verni. In addition, the position of C. malyi is currently unclear.
  DNA analysis and morphological studies suggest further that series Reticulati, Biflori and Speciosi are "probably inseparable". C. adanensis and C. caspius should probably be removed from Biflori; C. adanensis falls in a clade with C. paschei as a sister group to the species of series Flavi; C. caspius appears to be sister to the species of series Orientales.
  The study shows "no support for a system of sections as currently defined", although, despite the many inconsistencies between Mathew's 1982 classification and the current hypothesis, "the main assignment of species to the sections and series of that system is actually supported". The authors state, "further studies are required before any firm decisions about a hierarchical system of classification can be considered" and conclude "future re-classification is likely to involve all infrageneric levels, subgenera, sections and series".
  Below is the classification proposed by Brian Mathew in 1982, adapted in accordance with the above findings:
  A. Section Crocus : species with a basal prophyll
  Series Verni: corms with reticulated fibers, spring-flowering (apart from Crocus longiflorus), flowers for the most part without conspicuous outer striping, bracts absent
  Crocus etruscus Parl.
  Crocus ilvensis Peruzzi & Carta
  Crocus kosaninii Pulevic
  Crocus longiflorus Raf. – Italian crocus (formerly in Series Longiflori)
  Crocus tommasinianus Herb. – Woodland crocus, Tommasini's crocus
  Crocus vernus (L.) Hill – Spring crocus, Dutch crocus
  Crocus vernus subsp. albiflorus (Kit. ex Schult.) Asch. & Graebn.
  Crocus vernus subsp. vernus
  Series Baytopi (new Series): corms with strongly reticulated fibers; leaves numerous, narrowly linear; spring-flowering, bracts absent; anthers extrorsely dehiscent
  Crocus baytopiorum Mathew (formerly in Series Verni)
  Series Scardici: spring-flowering, leaves have no pale stripe on the upper surface
  Crocus pelistericus Pulevic
  Crocus scardicus Kos.
  Series Versicolores: spring-flowering, corms with tunics, which for the most part have parallel fibers, flowers with conspicuous exterior striping
  Crocus cambessedesii J. Gay
  Crocus versicolor Ker Gawl. – cloth-of-silver crocus
  Crocus corsicus Vanucchi ex Maw
  Crocus imperati Ten.
  Crocus imperati subsp. imperati
  Crocus imperati subsp. suaveolens (Bertol.) B.Mathew
  Crocus minimus DC.
  Series Longiflori: autumn-flowering, yellow anthers, styles much divided
  Crocus goulimyi Turrill (see also Constantine Goulimis)
  Crocus ligusticus M.G. Mariotti (Syn. Crocus medius Balb.)
  Crocus niveus Bowles
  Crocus nudiflorus Smith.
  Crocus serotinus Salisb. – late crocus
  Crocus serotinus subsp. clusii (J.Gay) B.Mathew
  Crocus serotinus subsp. salzmannii (J.Gay) B.Mathew
  Crocus serotinus subsp. serotinus
  Series Kotschyani: autumn-flowering, anthers white, styles for the most part three-forked
  Crocus autranii Albov.
  Crocus gilanicus B. Matthew (discovered in 1973 and named after Gi
caption: Crocus sativus (Section Crocus, Series Crocus)
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