Cross-barred crocus
Crocus cancellatus
Family: Iridaceae
What it is like
A low plant with a corm. It keeps growing from year to year. There are 4-5 leaves and these are grey-green. They are 1-2 mm wide. The leaves are absent at flowering time. The flowers are white to deep lilac-blue. The throat is pale yellow and there can be purple veins on the outside. The flower styles are divided into many pale orange branches.
There are about 85 Crocus species.
Where it is found
It is a Mediterranean climate plant. It grows in rocky and stony places.
Countries/locations it is found in
Armenia, Australia, Caucasus, Europe, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Mediterranean, Middle East, Palestine, Syria, Tasmania, Turkey, Türkiye
How it is used for food
The bulb is eaten as a vegetable, after boiling and grilling. It is peeled. The soft seeds are eaten raw.
Edible parts
Root, corm
How it is grown
Its other names
Local names
Gozenek, Shuhaim