Crocus tommasinianus, the woodland crocus, early crocus, or Tommasini's crocus, often referred to as tommies. They are native to Bulgaria, Hungary, Albania, and the former Yugoslavia. Genus name comes from krokos the ancient Greek name for saffron.
Crocus tommasinianus is native to hillsides and woodland areas from southern Hungary into the northern Balkans. It is commonly called snow crocus because it is one of the earliest of the crocuses to bloom. Pale lavender to reddish-purple, long-tubed, goblet-shaped flowers with white throats bloom in late winter to early spring (March in St. Louis) on plants rising to 4" tall. Bloom typically occurs before the bloom of the Dutch hybrid crocuses. Each plant has 3-5 basal, narrow, linear leaves at the time of bloom. Flowers close at night and open up in the morning, but usually remain closed on rainy/cloudy days.
