Gerês

Gerês

Saturday 17 October 2015

Crocus serotinus

 These flowers will make you think it's Spring all over again!


This the second species of Crocus appearing throughout the year in Gerês, blooming in the end of September and in October, announcing the Fall and thus earning the name of Autumn saffron.

You can tell the difference between the two by looking to the female part of the flower, that is bigger and branched in this species.

 Despite it's name, it's unusable as a spice. The "saffron" spice comes from a very similar species (Crocus sativa) found in Greece and Southwest Asia. This one, C. serotinus, is found in western Iberia and Morocco, in the mountains.


 I have also found white flowers in this species, adding colour to the fields of flowers. 



No comments:

Post a Comment