cartwrightianus

Crocus cartwrightianus (Iridaceae), wild saffron, is a cormous plant native to southeastern mainland Greece (Attica) and several Aegean islands including Crete and Santorini. In autumn it bears fragrant, cup-shaped, purple-lilac flowers veined with darker purple, with long, bright red stigma branches often overtopping the petals. Genetic studies identify it as the sole wild ancestor of cultivated saffron (C. sativus), which arose in Attica through autopolyploidy. Grow in full sun, in well-drained soil that stays dry in summer; hardy in most temperate regions.