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15th Symposium on the Flora of Southeastern Serbia and Neighboring Regions, Niš, 2025, Nish, Serbia, 23 - 25 May 2025, pp.10, (Summary Text)
In recent years, the systematics of the genus Crocus L. in Türkiye has experienced significant upheaval, driven by the publication of numerous new species. This disruption largely stems from the exploitation of loopholes in the ICBN regulations, which has led to species descriptions lacking rigorous comparative analysis with closely related taxa. Many of the descriptions published after the 1990s are based on vague or inaccurate type localities, cultivated plants that fail to represent natural populations, or superficial morphological traits. These questionable practices have hindered the accurate diagnosis of taxa, especially when inconsistent characters are prioritized. The type specimen of the Crocus chrysanthus (holo.: K 000099741!) was originally described from the Rumeli region. However, due to the inadequacy of the type specimen, nearly all taxa later published as distinct from C. chrysanthus remain problematic in their diagnoses. This study addresses these challenges by thoroughly defining the range of variation within C. chrysanthus and reassessing the validity of the taxa described in the last 12 years. Through an integrated approach encompassing cytological, genetic, morphological and anatomical data, the study provides clarity and resolves taxonomic ambiguities within this group.