How
many petals does crocus have? That was the question my mom asked watching
in close-up unusual, as it turned out, crocuses on Siwa Polana in the
Western Tatras. Most of us has never thought about it but the genned
up person will respond that six.
We can also find unambiguous statement
in the professional literature of nature. So how do we explain the
fact that there are seven or even eight petals of the flower crocus?
That specimens have been observed in the Tatra clearings for many
years. Crocuses with an abnormal number of petals are a tiny minority
but a skilled observer will find it pretty quickly. Does it mean that
the crocus longiflorus
, one of the most popular flowers of the Tatra Mountains, has
mutated? Probably no - the phenomenon is observed in terms of the
variability characteristics which sometimes have become more
noticeable but usually there are only episodes such as in the case of
four-leaf clover.
So we can peacefully go to the Tatra Mountains in April, for example to the Chocholowska Valley to admire crocus
meadows and by the way bend down and count how many petals has
each flower. Right now in the mountains is still a lot of snow, but
any day of rain and warm winds will make the crocuses start to slowly
grow out of the ground ...
Spring is coming!
.JPG)
Beautifull crocus
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