Crocus Species Research Articles

Incorporating Early Spring Bulbs into Dormant Warm-season Turfgrasses

Many early spring bulb species are naturally found in grassy areas such as meadows or lawns. However, few studies have been conducted to define this concept in maintained lawns, especially warm-season lawns such as zoysiagrass (Zoysia japonica) or bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon). Four early spring bulb species, including two crocus species (Crocus tommasinianus ‘Ruby Giant’ and Crocus chrysanthus ‘Goldilocks’), reticulated iris (Iris reticulata ‘Cantab’), and snowdrop (Galanthus elwesii) were established in a zoysiagrass lawn site in Fall 2010. In Spring 2011 and 2012, five common preemergence herbicides used on lawns were applied across the plots to determine phytotoxicity. In addition, mowing treatments were started on plots at two timings (15 Mar. and 15 Apr.) to determine how mowing might affect survival and performance of the bulb species. Early performance was good for all bulb species and greater than 50% flower production was observed in the first spring (2011) after planting. However, in the subsequent 3 years (2012–14), the only species that persisted and continued to flower adequately each spring was ‘Ruby Giant’ crocus. Herbicides and mowing did not affect bulb survival or performance in the trial, suggesting that typical lawn management practices will not be deleterious to the bulbs. These results demonstrate that early spring bulbs may be incorporated into dormant, warm-season lawns, but species and cultivar selection will be crucial for long-term performance.

Flower bouquet variation in four species of Crocus ser. Verni.

Flowering plants employ a wide variety of signals, including scent, to attract pollinators. The aim of this work was to examine whether flower volatiles in four closely related Crocus species are linked to species divergence and to the current knowledge on their pollination syndromes. Fragrances of freshly opened flowers in Crocus etruscus, C. ilvensis, C. neglectus, and C. vernus, all belonging to ser. Verni, were analyzed using GC/MS. Results coincide with present knowledge about systematic relationships among taxa. The four species fall into two main fragrance types, based on similarities of their volatile compounds. In C. etruscus, C. ilvensis, and C. neglectus, oxygenated monoterpenes (lilac aldehyde B and A) are most abundant, while C. vernus has a fragrance rich in monoterpene hydrocarbons (α-pinene and limonene). Our results point towards outcrossing mating strategies for C. etruscus, C. ilvensis, and C. neglectus, whose volatile compounds are known as pollinator attractants. This is in line with their flower architecture, showing a style of variable height, often overtopping stamens. On the other hand, a self-pollination strategy was repeatedly suggested in the literature for C. vernus, marked by flowers with the style deeply inserted in the stamens and also by a completely different flower bouquet.

New target carotenoids for CCD4 enzymes are revealed with the characterization of a novel stress-induced carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase gene from Crocus sativus.

Apocarotenoid compounds play diverse communication functions in plants, some of them being as hormones, pigments and volatiles. Apocarotenoids are the result of enzymatic cleavage of carotenoids catalyzed by carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase (CCD). The CCD4 family is the largest family of plant CCDs, only present in flowering plants, suggesting a functional diversification associated to the adaptation for specific physiological capacities unique to them. In saffron, two CCD4 genes have been previously isolated from the stigma tissue and related with the generation of specific volatiles involved in the attraction of pollinators. The aim of this study was to identify additional CCD4 members associated with the generation of other carotenoid-derived volatiles during the development of the stigma. The expression of CsCCD4c appears to be restricted to the stigma tissue in saffron and other Crocus species and was correlated with the generation of megastigma-4,6,8-triene. Further, CsCCD4c was up-regulated by wounding, heat, and osmotic stress, suggesting an involvement of its apocarotenoid products in the adaptation of saffron to environmental stresses. The enzymatic activity of CsCCD4c was determined in vivo in Escherichia coli and subsequently in Nicotiana benthamiana by analyzing carotenoids by HPLC-DAD and the volatile products by GC/MS. β-Carotene was shown to be the preferred substrate, being cleaved at the 9,10 (9',10') bonds and generating β-ionone, although β-cyclocitral resulting from a 7,8 (7',8') cleavage activity was also detected at lower levels. Lutein, neoxanthin and violaxanthin levels in Nicotiana leaves were markedly reduced when CsCCD4c is over expressed, suggesting that CsCCD4c recognizes these carotenoids as substrates.

Genomic organization of a UDP-glucosyltransferase gene determines differential accumulation of specific flavonoid glucosides in tepals

Glycosylation plays a major role in the chemical diversity of flavonoids. The wide diversity of the family-1 glycosyltransferase (UGT) impairs the determination of the biochemical function solely from its primary sequence. Here we combined differential expression and target metabolomic analysis in various Crocus species to identify a gene that is key in determining the flavonoid composition of Crocus species that belong to the Crocus series. UGT703B1 recognizes isorhamnetin and kaempferol as substrates in vitro. In addition, UGT703B1 expression was found to be highly correlated with the presence of kaempferol 7-O-biglucoside-3-O-β-glucoside and isorhamnetin-3,7-O-diglucoside. These flavonols were present in C. sativus and C. cartwrightianus albus, both from series Crocus but absent in Crocus species from the other series analyzed. Further, the presence of both flavonols was associated with the expression of UGT703B1, and this expression was correlated with the presence of the UGT703B1 coding gene, with the exception of C. cancellatus, whose genomic sequence was present but contained a shorter intronic sequence and promoter alterations, suggesting the presence of regulatory sequences in the deleted part of that intron and promoter important for UGT703B1 expression. Overall, the data obtained supports the involvement of UGT703B1 in the formation of specific kaempferol and isorhamnetin glucosides, while demonstrating that the integration of metabolomic and differential expression analysis is a versatile tool for understanding a multigene family of UGTs in Crocus.

Crocus brachyfilus(Iridaceae), a new species from southern Turkey

Schneider I.: Crocus brachyfilus (Iridaceae), a new species from southern Turkey. — Willdenowia 44: 45–50. 13 March 2014. — Version of record published online ahead of inclusion in April 2014 issue; ISSN 1868-6397; © 2014 BGBM Berlin-Dahlem.DOI: http//dx.doi.org/10.3372/wi.44.44107Crocus brachyfilus I. Schneider, a new autumn-flowering species of Crocus L. belonging to C. ser. Speciosi from S Turkey, is described and compared with C. elegans Rukšãns.

Variation in Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) accessions and Crocus wild species by RAPD analysis

Crocus, a genus of Iridaceae is mostly grown in areas with Mediterranean environment as the best region. Saffron (C. sativus) is a perennial plant and is cultivated as an industrial crop in several regions of Iran. In this research, five accessions of cultivated Saffron from five areas in Khorasan, and Esfahan including Gonabad, Ferdows, Torbat-e-Heyidariye, Estahbanat, Gopayegan were used. Other nine species of saffron were grown naturally in Iran; so we collected two wild species (C. caspius and C. speciosus) from north of Iran (Gilan Province). RAPD markers were used to classify these species and to find their relationships. In the results of this study, the cluster analysis showed two distinct groups. Also, the maximum similarity was seen between C. caspius and C. speciosus (0.82) and the minimum was between Estahbanat, Ferdows accessions and C. speciosus (0.33). Finally, this method as a convenience procedure could be used to separate different accessions and species of Crocus as well.

Seed dormancy and germination in three Crocus ser. Verni species (Iridaceae): implications for evolution of dormancy within the genus

The aim of this work was to examine whether seed ecophysiological traits in three closely related Crocus species were associated with ecological niche differentiation and species divergence. Seeds of the temperate tetraploid cytotype of Crocus neapolitanus, the sub-Mediterranean C.etruscus and the Mediterranean C.ilvensis were placed either on agar in the laboratory under different periods of simulated seasonal conditions or in nylon mesh bags buried outdoors to examine embryo growth, radicle and shoot emergence. In agreement with the phenology observed outdoors, in the laboratory embryos required a cool temperature (ca. 10°C) to grow to full size (embryo length:seed length, E:S ratio ca. 0.75) but only after seeds received a warm stratification; radicle emergence then followed immediately (November). Shoot emergence is a temporally separated phase (March) that was promoted by cold stratification in C.neapolitanus while in the other two species this time lag was attributed to a slow continuous developmental process. These species have similar embryo growth and radicle phenology but differ in their degree of epicotyl dormancy, which is related to the length of local winter. Conclusions from laboratory experiments that only consider root emergence could be misleading; evaluating the phenology of both root and shoot emergence should be considered in order to demonstrate ecologically meaningful differences in germination behaviour and to develop effective propagation protocols. Although these taxa resulted from recent speciation processes, the outcomes suggest an early onset of adaptation to local ecological factors and that phylogeny may represent a significant constraint in the evolution and expression of seed traits in Crocus.

Crocins with High Levels of Sugar Conjugation Contribute to the Yellow Colours of Early-Spring Flowering Crocus Tepals

Crocus sativus is the source of saffron spice, the processed stigma which accumulates glucosylated apocarotenoids known as crocins. Crocins are found in the stigmas of other Crocuses, determining the colourations observed from pale yellow to dark red. By contrast, tepals in Crocus species display a wider diversity of colours which range from purple, blue, yellow to white. In this study, we investigated whether the contribution of crocins to colour extends from stigmas to the tepals of yellow Crocus species. Tepals from seven species were analysed by UPLC-PDA and ESI-Q-TOF-MS/MS revealing for the first time the presence of highly glucosylated crocins in this tissue. β-carotene was found to be the precursor of these crocins and some of them were found to contain rhamnose, never before reported. When crocin profiles from tepals were compared with those from stigmas, clear differences were found, including the presence of new apocarotenoids in stigmas. Furthermore, each species showed a characteristic profile which was not correlated with the phylogenetic relationship among species. While gene expression analysis in tepals of genes involved in carotenoid metabolism showed that phytoene synthase was a key enzyme in apocarotenoid biosynthesis in tepals. Expression of a crocetin glucosyltransferase, previously identified in saffron, was detected in all the samples. The presence of crocins in tepals is compatible with the role of chromophores to attract pollinators. The identification of tepals as new sources of crocins is of special interest given their wide range of applications in medicine, cosmetics and colouring industries.

Crocus sativus L. genomics and different DNA barcode applications

Crocus sativus L. is a sterile species (3n) whose origin has not been yet clarified. A lot of morphological studies supported the theory that it would have been originated from the evolution, or the hybridization, of other Crocus exemplars, especially C. thomasii, C. hadriaticus and C. cartwrightianus. Crocus sativus stigmas are saffron raw source but, because of their high economic value, sometimes this spice is adulterated. By the application of the DNA barcode technique, we analyzed different Crocus species genomes and we partially clarified some aspects of the phylogeny of this genus: in particular, C. sativus possible genetic derivation was elucidated. Our results also showed that different C. sativus species might have evolved by independent events, probably due to several geographical pressures. We demonstrated that barcoding method, usually adopted for interspecific taxonomic identification, could be also applied to intraspecific and population studies. Finally, we proposed this molecular approach as scientific tool able to discriminate and certificate saffron authenticity.

Species classification of aquatic plants using GRNN and BPNN

Computer-aided plant species identification acts significantly on plant digital museum system and systematic botany, which is the groundwork for research and development of plants. This work presents a method for plant species identification using the images of flowers. It focuses on the stable feature extraction of flowers such as color, texture and shape features. Color-based segmentation using k-means clustering is used to extract the color features. Texture segmentation using texture filter is used to segment the image and obtain texture features. Sobel, Prewitt and Robert operators are used to extract the boundary of image and to obtain the shape features. From 405 images of flowers, color, texture and shape features are extracted. Classification of the plants into dry land plants and aquatic plants, the aquatic plant species into wet and marsh aquatic plants, wet aquatic plants into Iridaceae and Epilobium family and marsh aquatic plants into Malvaceae and Onagraceae family, the Iridaceae family is again classified into Babiana and Crocus species, the family Epilobium into Canum and Hirsutum, the family Malvaceae into Mallow and Pavonia, the family Onagraceae into Fuschia and Ludwigia species are done using general regression neural network and backpropagation neural network classifiers.

Characterization of a Glucosyltransferase Enzyme Involved in the Formation of Kaempferol and Quercetin Sophorosides in Crocus sativus

UGT707B1 is a new glucosyltransferase isolated from saffron (Crocus sativus) that localizes to the cytoplasm and the nucleus of stigma and tepal cells. UGT707B1 transcripts were detected in the stigma tissue of all the Crocus species analyzed, but expression analysis of UGT707B1 in tepals revealed its absence in certain species. The analysis of the glucosylated flavonoids present in Crocus tepals reveals the presence of two major flavonoid compounds in saffron: kaempferol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-2)-β-D-glucopyranoside and quercetin-3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-2)-β-D-glucopyranoside, both of which were absent from the tepals of those Crocus species that did not express UGT707B1. Transgenic Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants constitutively expressing UGT707B1 under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter have been constructed and their phenotype analyzed. The transgenic lines displayed a number of changes that resembled those described previously in lines where flavonoid levels had been altered. The plants showed hyponastic leaves, a reduced number of trichomes, thicker stems, and flowering delay. Levels of flavonoids measured in extracts of the transgenic plants showed changes in the composition of flavonols when compared with wild-type plants. The major differences were observed in the extracts from stems and flowers, with an increase in 3-sophoroside flavonol glucosides. Furthermore, a new compound not detected in ecotype Columbia wild-type plants was detected in all the tissues and identified as kaempferol-3-O-sophoroside-7-O-rhamnoside. These data reveal the involvement of UGT707B1 in the biosynthesis of flavonol-3-O-sophorosides and how significant changes in flavonoid homeostasis can be caused by the overproduction of a flavonoid-conjugating enzyme.

Chromosome numbers of Turkish Crocus (Liliiflorae, Iridaceae) and their geographical distribution

AbstractThe genus Crocus is known for its widely varying chromosome numbers (from 2n = 6 to 2n = 70) with varying numbers occurring even within species, as it is the case for Crocus biflorus Miller (2n = 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24). After we found morphological diverse C. biflorus populations in Turkey doubts arose about their rank of being subspecies of the Italian C. biflorus (2n = 8). Here we publish the chromosome numbers for 76 populations of C. biflorus sensu lato distributed all over Turkey. The chromosome numbers ranged from 2n = 8 to 2n = 36, with the higher numbers occurring in the mountain ranges of the Anatolian Diagonal and east of it, while lower numbers were found only southwest of these mountains. Closely related taxa with similar distribution mostly differ in their chromosome numbers. This led us to assume that chromosomal changes influence speciation processes in the genus. Therefore, chromosome numbers may represent an important character for the establishment of a new taxonomic treatment of the Crocus species, especially within section Nudiscapus. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Identification and possible role of a MYB transcription factor from saffron (Crocus sativus)

The MYB family is the most abundant group of transcription factors described for plants. Plant MYB genes have been shown to be involved in the regulation of many aspects of plant development. No MYB genes are described for saffron, the dried stigma of Crocus sativus, utilized as a colorant for foodstuffs. In this study, we used RACE-PCR to isolate a full length cDNA of 894bp with a 591bp open reading frame, encoding a putative CsMYB1 from C. sativus. Comparison between gDNA and cDNA revealed no introns. Homology studies indicated that the deduced amino acid sequence is similar to members of the R2R3 MYB subfamily. Expression analysis showed the presence of high transcript levels in stigma tissue and low levels in tepals, whereas no signal was detected in either anthers or leaves. The RT-PCR analysis revealed that CsMYB1 expression is developmentally regulated during stigma development. Furthermore, expression analysis in stigmas from different Crocus species showed a correlation with stigma morphology. No transcripts were found in stigma tissues of Crocus species characterized by branched stigma morphology. Taken together, these results suggest that CsMYB1 may be involved in the regulation of stigma morphology in Crocus.

Rapid genomic DNA isolation from corm of Crocus species for genetic diversity analysis

The successful extraction of useful DNA from the plants is associated with all extraction steps for molecular techniques used in the next steps such as PCR amplification, digestion and DNA sequencing. Unlike in nonplant DNA extraction protocols, methods need to be adjusted to each species and even to each tissue because of the wide range of primary and secondary metabolites in the plants. Current methods produce degraded and denatured DNA or give extremely poor yields. To overcome these difficulties, we modified available DNA extraction methods. We have obtained higher quality of DNA from corm of Crocusspecies. This extraction technique provides an extraction procedure that can be completed in less than 50 min. This method yielded high-quality and high quantities of DNA. This technique has a potential to be an effective protocol for DNA extraction using corm forCrocus species, and perhaps for other plants, when sufficient young leaf tissue is not available. This could be adopted as a standard method for plants propagated with corm for isolation of DNA for marker analyses. Key words: DNA extraction, saffron, molecular marker, corm.

Physicochemical and Preliminary Phytochemical Studies on Petals of Crocus sativus ‘Cashmerianus’

Crocus sativus ‘Cashmerianus’ is a plant cultivated in various parts of the world. The present communication attempts to evaluate the physicochemical and preliminary phytochemical studies on the petals of most expensive Crocus species found in Kashmir is Crocus sativus ‘Cashmerianus’ (Iridaceae). These observations would be of immense value in the botanical identification and standardization of the drug in crude form and would help to distinguish the drug from its other species. The percentage of total ash value, acid insoluble ash value, water soluble ash value and sulphated ash value were found as 18.36, 3.48 11.36 and 9.01% respectively. Fluorescence characters of different extracts with various reagents were noted under UV (254 nm and 365 nm) and under normal ordinary light. Loss of weight on drying was found as 6.68% w/w. The percent yield of successive extract of petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, methanol and aqueous extracts were found as 6.18%, 7.79%, 6.28%, 30.63%, and 35.16% w/w respectively. The preliminary phytochemical screening was carried out for the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, carbohydrate glycosides, tannins, terpeniods, phenol, steroids and saponins for different petal extracts of Crocus sativus ‘Cashmerianus’. These studies provide referential information for correct identification and standardization of this plant material.

The World Saffron and Crocus collection: strategies for establishment, management, characterisation and utilisation

Since 2007, the European Commission AGRI GEN RES 018 “CROCUSBANK” action has permitted the creation of the alleged World Saffron and Crocus Collection (WSCC), a unique collection which contains a representation of the genetic variability present in saffron crop and wild relatives at global scale. At present the germplasm collection, housed at the Bank of Plant Germplasm of Cuenca (BGV-CU, Spain), consists of 572 preserved accessions representing 47 different Crocus species (including saffron Crocus) and is expected to increase up to more than 600 accessions by the end of CROCUSBANK action (May 2011). The preserved biodiversity of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) covers a wide range of the genetic variability of the crop and currently consists of 220 accessions from 15 countries: 169 of these come from European cultivation countries, 18 from commercial areas in non EU countries, 26 from regions of minimal or relict production and/or from abandoned fields and 7 from commercial nurseries. The non-saffron Crocus collection currently comprises 352 accessions: 179 collected from the wild in 12 countries of natural distribution, 24 from donations of public and private institutions, 91 from commercial nurseries and 58 acquired from BGV-CU collection management. Here we provide a record of collections, activities concerns and current strategies for documentation, conservation, characterisation, and management of the collection as important tools for researchers with interest in these valuable genetic resources.

Genomic analysis and gene structure of the plant carotenoid dioxygenase 4 family: A deeper study in Crocus sativus and its allies

The plastoglobule-targeted enzyme carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase (CCD4) mediates the formation of volatile C 13 ketones, such as β-ionone, by cleaving the C 9-C 10 and C 9'-C 10' double bonds of cyclic carotenoids. Here, we report the isolation and analysis of CCD4 genomic DNA regions in Crocus sativus. Different CCD4 alleles have been identified: CsCCD4a which is found with and without an intron and CsCCD4b that showed the presence of a unique intron. The presence of different CCD4 alleles was also observed in other Crocus species. Furthermore, comparison of the locations of CCD4 introns within the coding region with CCD4 genes from other plant species suggests that independent gain/losses have occurred. The comparison of the promoter region of CsCCD4a and CsCCD4b with available CCD4 gene promoters from other plant species highlighted the conservation of cis-elements involved in light response, heat stress, as well as the absence and unique presence of cis-elements involved in circadian regulation and low temperature responses, respectively. Functional characterization of the Crocus sativus CCD4a promoter using Arabidopsis plants stably transformed with a DNA fragment of 1400 base pairs (P-CsCCD4a) fused to the β-glucuronidase ( GUS) reporter gene showed that this sequence was sufficient to drive GUS expression in the flower, in particular high levels were detected in pollen.

Phenolic profiles, antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of the various extracts of Crocus species in Anatolia.

The phenolic profile and quantitative composition of methanol extracts of Crocus baytopiorum which was endemic species in Denizli, Turkey was detected by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC-DAD). The HPLC analysis of phenolic compounds in methanol extract of C. baytopiorum showed that p-Coumaric acid, apigenin-glucoside, rosmarinic acid, quercetin and kampferol were present. Also, the methanol, ethyl acetate and hexane extracts fromCrocus biflorus, C. baytopiorum and Crocus flavus subp. dissectus were investigated for their in vitro antimicrobial and antioxidant activities in the present study. Ethyl acetate and methanol extracts have demonstrated significant antimicrobial activities against tested micro organisms Escherichia coli ATCC 35218, Pseudomonas aeruginosa NRRL B-23, Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 27736, Yersinia enterecolitica RSKK 1501, Proteus vulgarisRSKK 96026, Bacillus cereus RSKK 863, Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633,Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Micrococcus luteus NRRL B-4375 andCandida albicans (clinical isolate). The methanol extract of C. flavus subsp.dissectus had maximum activities on Yersinia enterocolitica RSKK 1501. Minimum inhibition concentrations of plant extracts have investigated onStaphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633 and Bacillus cereus RSKK 863. The Minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) of samples ranged from 0.10 to 20.48 mg/ml. In terms of radical scavenging activity and antioxidant activity, in the concentration of 2 mg/ml of methanol extract of C. flavus (92.67 and 89.32% respectively) displayed inhibition equal to in the concentration of 0.8 mg/ml butylated hydroxytoluene (BHA) used as standard antioxidant (91.45 and 89.78% respectively). Positive correlations were found between total phenolic content in the Crocus extracts and their antioxidant activities. Thus, it is envisaged that Crocus species may have potential for acting as natural antioxidants. Key Words: Crocus, antimicrobial activity, antioxidant activity, HPLC, phenolic compounds.

Seed structure in Crocus sativus L. ×, C. cartwrightianus Herb., C. thomasii Ten., and C. hadriaticus Herb. at SEM

Crocus sativus L. (Iridaceae) is a sterile triploid geophyte widely cultivated for the production of the spice saffron and only reproduced by means of corms. Extensive research has identified Crocus cartwrightianus Herb. as being a probable progenitor of C. sativus. However, other diploid Crocus species of the same C. sativus group, such as C. thomasii Ten. and C. hadriaticus Herb., have been considered as possible progenitors of saffron. Of the characteristics for distinguishing critical genera, species and intraspecific taxa of angiosperms, the most widely adopted have been seed organisation and patterns of spermoderma microstructure detected at SEM. The aim of this study is to use SEM to analyse the seeds of C. sativus ×, a cross obtained by C. sativus with pollen of C. cartwrightianus Herb. and the seeds of allopollinated C. cartwrightianus, C. thomasii Ten., and C. hadriaticus Herb. Results indicate that the seed surface microstructure of C. sativus × is very similar to that of C. cartwrightianus while being different from those of C. thomasii and C. hadriaticus.

A morphological and anatomical investigation about two rare and endemic Crocus taxa (Iridaceae) from Southern Anatolia

The morphological and anatomical characteristics of Crocus reticulatus subsp. hittiticus and Crocus cancellatus subsp. lycius, which are under the danger of extinction, have been investigated. The distributions of the two endemic subspecies are limited in Turkey. The plant samples were collected from the South Anatolia Region. The subsp. hittiticus flowers in the early spring whereas subsp. lycius flowers in the autumn. Their corm tunics are coarsely reticulate-fibrous. The subsp. hittiticus has blackish anthers and purple striped outer segments. The subsp. lycius has flowers with very pale lilac coloured and veined. Also, the style of this subsp. is equal to their anthers. These morphological properties are characteristics for two the subspecies investigated. The transverse-sections of the root, stem and leaf parts of these subspecies have been examined and revealed. Their morphologic and anatomic structures are illustrated. The anatomic properties of the two subspecies have been determined to be similar to the anatomic properties of other species of the genus Crocus. Moreover, the crystal type on the organs of the subsp. lycius was investigated.