Crocus biflorus subsp. melantherus B. Mathew
Taxon info
Crocus biflorus subsp. melantherus is an autumn-flowering taxon endemic to Peloponnisos and Sterea Ellas. The very variable C. biflorus has been divided into numerous subspecies in Greece and especially in Turkey; some of these, including C. melantherus, may well deserve the rank of separate species. They belong to a group of species in which the outer bulb tunics are circumscissile, i.e. they break up into rings at the base. As indicated by the name, the anthers of C. melantherus are purplish black (but more or less concealed by the yellow pollen after dehiscence).A
A. Dimopoulos, P., Raus, Th., Bergmeier, E., Constantinidis, Th., Iatrou, G., Kokkini, S., Strid, A. & Tzanoudakis, D. 2013: Vascular plants of Greece: An annotated checklist. 31. – Berlin: Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin-Dahlem; Athens: Hellenic Botanical Society. p. 342
