Crocuses are not only valued for their great variety of colors. The flowers are very robust and even unfold in the snow. Since the first crocuses develop flowers as early as February, they are particularly popular as harbingers of spring.

The stamens of the crocus flower are poisonous to pets

The appearance of the flower

The flowers of the crocus stand alone, even if it often looks as if whole clusters of flowers are growing in the dense sea of flowers.

They consist of a flower tube ending in several uniform petals. It can grow up to ten centimeters high. The colors of the flowers vary from pure white, yellow, shades of blue, violet to newer varieties with pink flowers.

Seeds or stamens grow inside the flower, which are predominantly bright yellow, occasionally white or dark in color.

Ovary develops underground

Only when the flowers of the crocus have been pollinated by insects do the ovary emerge from the ground. When this happens depends on the crocus species:

  • Small flowering crocuses
  • Large-flowered crocuses
  • autumn crocuses

The ovary is a capsule with three compartments, in which the seeds of the crocus ripen. These seeds cannot usually be used for propagation. Self-seeding only occurs in the wild form of the crocus.

Filaments dangerous for animals

While the stamens of the saffron crocus plant are used in the kitchen as a seasoning and coloring agent, the native crocus stamens are not edible.

In humans, the stamens of the crocus cause at most slight abdominal pain. Small animals, on the other hand, can suffer serious symptoms of poisoning by ingesting crocus stamens.

tips and tricks

The crocus owes its name to the characteristic flower threads, which usually protrude yellow from the petals. "Krokos" is the Greek word for thread.

Category:

Vegetable garden