File:Crocus veluchensis.jpg

English: Corm tunic finely reticulate. Leaves two to four, 2-5mm wide, occurring with the flowers. Flowers about 10cm tall, pale to dark lilac sometimes with dark tips to the segments and a white throat, the styles yellow or orange, occasionally almost white, and divided and expanded near the top, spring. It is quite similar to C. sieberi subsp. sublimis but lacks the yellow throat of the latter. Putative hybrids occur where the two species overlap. Greece, Yugoslavia, Albania and Bulgaria in alpine meadows at 1000-2500m. In cultivation this species must not dry out in summer and will thrive in the open garden. However some forms seem to be more demanding than others. Pot or frame treatment seems preferable with a new acquisition.