Crocus ochroleucus

Crocus ochroleucus is a herbaceous perennial geophyte growing from a corm. The corm is small, surrounded with membranous brown tunics. Each corm produces 4-6 leaves, appearing together with flowers, strongly canaliculate, 1.5–2 mm wide. Basal spathe often surrounding numerous scapes. Floral spathe diphyllous, partly enclosing a long tube. Perianth 2–3 cm ; tepals elliptical-ovate, cream-white, yellow and bearded at base. Anthers whitish, longer than filament, with white pollen.[4] Stigmas orange. The style has three branches which are dilated at the apex, with entire or branching ends.[4]

October–December.

Rocky places, light soils. On Jebel Jermak in Upper Galilee it grows together with Crocus hyemalis and Crocus pallasii.[4]

Lower and middle mountains, South, Hermon.

The cream-white color of this crocus is at origin of specific name ochroleucus, which is derived from the Greek ôchros , yellow, and leukos, white. The Latin name Crocus, and the Greek name krokos which gave it birth, were used by ancients to designate the peculiar species with violet flowers: Crocus sativus, whose large stigmas, highly fragrant and of a beautiful orange yellow tint, produce the famous saffron used in coloration of certain food and liquors. The cream-colored Crocus, known in Lebanon as hirsanneen, grows abundantly after autumn first rainfalls. Its corms are sometimes eaten. Crocus has 3 stamens. This characteristic, among others, allows to differentiate it from meadow saffron which belongs to the Lily Family and has 6 stamens[5]

• Georges Tohme & Henriette Tohme, Illustrated Flora of Lebanon, National Council For Scientific Research, Second Edition 2014.