Crocus longiflorus

{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}}

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|taxon = Crocus longiflorus

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Crocus longiflorus, the long-flowered crocus, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Crocus of the family Iridaceae, found in Southwest Italy, Sicilia, and Malta.[http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=327335 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families]

Growing to {{convert|10 |cm|in|abbr=on}} tall, it is a cormous perennial. It produces pale lilac or purple blooms in autumn, along with the sword-shaped leaves.

In the 19th century, Crocus longiflorus stigmas were harvested from the wild and used for saffron in Sicily.{{cite book |last1=Maw |first1=George |title=A Monograph of the Genus Crocus |date=1886 |publisher=Dulau and Co. |location=Soho Square, London |pages=87 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/52656#page/101/mode/1up |access-date=6 April 2024 |ref=Maw Saffron}}

In cultivation in the UK, this plant is a recipient of the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/4906/Crocus-longiflorus/Details | title = Crocus longiflorus | website = www.rhs.org | publisher = Royal Horticultural Society | accessdate = 5 May 2020}}