Flowering Time	Spring
Distribution	Austria; Czechoslovakia; Hungary; Italy; Balkan States; Poland; Romania; Ukraine
Native Climate	Cold winters with snow
Wild Habitat	Woodland and woodland clearings, sometimes in subalpine meadows
Distinctive Features	Variable. Flower shades of purple, sometimes white or striped. Corm tunic fine fibres
Closest Relatives	Crocus vernus albiflorus
Cultivation Requirements	Most forms are good garden plants in areas with summer rainfall.
Availability	Hybrid cultivars widely available in commerce. True species available in several forms from specialist bulb suppliers

With a very widespread distribution it should come as no surprise to learn that this is a very variable species. Some of these forms have been grown under different names but are now included under the umbrella of the Crocus vernus complex. Crocus ‘napolitanus’ is a form of Italian origins, Crocus ‘scepusiensis’ and Crocus ‘heuffelianus’ are names formerly applied to plants from the Balkans and populations further east. A selection of the many variants are pictured below.

The widely grown Dutch crocus of commerce are either selected forms or hybrids of Crocus vernus vernus – an example below illustrates the size differential between these and the true species.

Several examples of dark tipped forms of Crocus vernus vernus (‘scepusiensis/heuffelianus’)

‘Typical’ Crocus vernus vernus (right) and Dutch hybrid Crocus (left)

Note the white style of this form.