Crocus pallasii, Crocus haussknechtii, Crocus olbanus,
Autumn Crocus, Fall Crocus,
כרכום נאה

Scientific name:		Crocus pallasii Goldb.
Synonym name:		Crocus haussknechtii (Maw) Boiss.; Crocus olbanus Siehe
Common name:		Autumn Crocus, Fall Crocus
Hebrew name:		כרכום נאה
Family:		Iridaceae, Iris family, אירוסיים

Date Picture Taken: November 28, 2011

Life form:		Geophyte, corm
Stems:		Without
Leaves:		All basal, rosette, narrow ensiform leaf with a white central stripe along the leaf axis, margin entire, leaves 5-11, 1-2mm wide; leaves often absent at anthesis
Inflorescence:		1-4 flowers
Flowers:		Hermaphrodite, lilach, violet, sometimes with darker veins; throat white or lilac, pubescent; perianth-segments 2.5-4.5 cm; yellow anthers; style clearly 3-branched, branches undivided, usually deep red, the tunic fibres of corm filiform
Fruits / pods:		Capsule, 3-4 mm, rounded; plant does not set seed, flowers are sterile
Flowering Period:		October, November
Habitat:		Mediterranean maquis and forest
Distribution:		Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Montane vegetation of Mt. Hermon
Chorotype:		Med - Irano-Turanian
Summer shedding:		Ephemeral

Date Picture Taken: November 28, 2011 Derivation of the botanical name: Crocus, Greek κρόκος, krokos "thread" and alludes to the stigmas, In Hebrew it is called: karkom (כרכום), Aramaic kurkama (כרכמא), Persian and Arabic kurkum, all meaning saffron or saffron yellow. In Talmudic Hebrew, the verb כרכם meant "to be come yellow". pallasii, named for Peter Simon Pallas (1741 – 1811), a German zoologist and botanist who worked in Russia. haussknechtii, named for Heinrich Carl Haussknecht (1838 - 1903), a German pharmacist and botanical collector who was a native of Bennungen, Sachsen-Anhalt. olbanus, from Olba (ancient city) in the Mersin Province in southern Turkey, on the Mediterranean coast between Antalya and Adana, where the crocus was first found. The standard author abbreviation Goldb. is used to indicate Karl Ludwig Goldbach (1793 - 1824), a Russian botanist. The standard author abbreviation Maw is used to indicate George Maw (1832 - 1912), an English polymath; his occupations included manufacturing tiles and art pottery, chemistry, geology, botany, archaeology, watercolour painting and gardening. The standard author abbreviation Boiss. is used to indicate Pierre Edmond Boissier (1810 – 1885), a Swiss botanist, explorer and mathematician. The standard author abbreviation Siehe is used to indicate Walter Siehe (1859 - 1928), a German engineer with a passion for plants. Date Picture Taken: November 28, 2011 Date Picture Taken: November 28, 2011 Date Picture Taken: November 28, 2011 Date Picture Taken: November 28, 2011 Location: Mount Meron, Peak Trail; Date Picture Taken: December 6, 2011