Etruscan Crocus

Crocus etruscus is a herbaceous perennial geophyte growing from a corm. The corm is globe shaped with a flat top, the tunic is coarsely netted and a secondary star-shaped tunic is produced around the basal plate (where the roots are generated). Flowers are lavender-blue with gray-blue outer surfaces that are marked with dark veining. The three-branched, orange-red stigma is generally taller than the anthers. Flowering occurs in late winter- early spring. Plants are self-incompatible, meaning that viable seeds are not produced when pollination occurs among flowers of the same corm. The anthers open up away from the center of the flower to release pollen.

It is found growing in sub-Mediterranean deciduous woods and stony fields; the species may be in bloom from February to April. The species is almost extinct in the wild. It has a restricted natural range, being endemic to the southwestern part of Tuscany. In nature the plant has "near-threatened" status. However, it also appears in cultivation. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.