Crocus sieberi
J. Gay
Sieber's crocus, Cretan crocus, Snow crocus
(c) Nick Turland, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND)
(c) gitgerl, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Bulbs, Leaves
Crocus sieberi is cultivated in gardens as an ornamental plant for its flowers. It has also been used as food; in Greece the corms are eaten raw - with the flavor said to resemble hazelnuts. In Turkey, the leaves are eaten as greens.
Where to Find It
It is a Mediterranean climate plant. It grows in the mountains of Greece.
Australia, Europe, Greece, Mediterranean, Slovenia, Turkey, Türkiye,
How to Identify
A herb.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Crocus sieberi, Sieber's crocus, also referred to as the Cretan crocus or snow crocus (as is Crocus chrysanthus), is a plant of the genus Crocus in the family Iridaceae. A small, early blooming crocus, it easily naturalises, and is marked by a brilliant orange which is mostly confined to the stamens and style, fading through the bottom third of the tepal. It grows wild generally in the Balkans: Greece, especially in the island of Crete, Bulgaria, Albania and North Macedonia. There are four subtypes: sieberi (Crete), atticus (Attica area around Athens), nivalis and sublimis. Its cultivars are used as ornamental plants. Height: 3–4 inches (7.6–10.2 cm).
Names & Synonyms
Sieberov žafran
References (3)
- Bull. Ferussac 25:320. 1831
- Facciola, S., 1998, Cornucopia 2: a Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, p 122
- Jacobsen, A. L., February 2013: edible Crocus www.arthurleej.com/plant of the month.html
