Crocus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the genus of flowers. For the myth of the youth Crocus who was turned into a crocus, see Crocus (mythology).
For other uses, see Crocus (disambiguation).
| Crocus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Crocus longiflorus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Iridaceae |
| Subfamily: | Crocoideae |
| Genus: | Crocus L. |
| Type species | |
| Crocus sativus L. | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Crocus (English plural: crocuses or croci) is a genus of flowering plants in the iris family comprising 90 species of perennials growing from corms. Many are cultivated for their flowers appearing in autumn, winter, or spring. Crocuses are native to woodland, scrub, and meadows from sea level to alpine tundra in central and southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, on the islands of the Aegean, and across Central Asia to Xinjiang Province in western China.[1][2][3]