Nottingham Spring Crocus

Nottingham Spring Crocus

Nottingham Spring Crocus

Many of you are probably wondering why the crocuses on the left hand side of the 18th fairway are so special and have been roped off. These are a variety of crocus that is ancient and very rare in England. They are protected as a county ‘Biodiversity Action Plan’ Species.  They can also be seen in the University grounds and in parts of Lenton. We should be very proud that they survive on our golf course.

Nottingham spring crocus, Crocus vernus, is a native of the Balkan region of the former Yugoslavia. In Nottingham, the plants become naturalised in Britain before 1500. They were probably introduced for medicinal or culinary reasons, and the distribution is strongly associated with the former Lenton Priory. It is believed that one use of the plants was to treat malaria, which was endemic in Britain at the time, especially in areas of extensive wetlands such as the Trent Valley. In Nottinghamshire the species was abundant in the Meadows area alongside the Trent. Due to development in the late Victorian and early 20th Century, many of these meadows were lost. This  species now occurs in small scattered populations, and on our golf course.!

Di Clarke