A small, early blooming crocus, it easily naturalises, and is marked by a brilliant orange which is mostly confined to the stamens and style, fading through the bottom third of the tepal.

It grows wild generally in the Balkans: Greece, especially in the island of Crete, Bulgaria, Albania and North Macedonia.

There are four subtypes: sieberi (Crete), atticus (Attica area around Athens), nivalis and sublimis.

It has also been used as food; in Greece the corms are eaten raw - with the flavor said to resemble hazelnuts.

[1] Examples: The cultivars marked agm have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.