These bulbs were a donation to the Garden of Medicinal Plants for the 'Focus on the Crocus' campaign to eradicate polio. It was in response to the Gates challenge to plant millions of purple Crocus around Britain in autumn 2010. It was in partnership with the Eden Project, National Trust and the International Flower Bulb Centre. The Crocus were purple in order to match the colour of the dye used to mark the little finger of each immunised child.

Six million Crocus 'Ruby Giant' have been planted around the country as part of the Purple4Polio campaign. Run by Rotary Great Britain and Ireland, with the RHS, it is part of Rotary's work to help eliminate polio. For more information please see: www.rotarygbi.org

A dwarf, cormous perennial producing 1 or 2 slender flowers in springtime, 2- 4.5cm long, with long white perianth tubes. Sterile, rich, reddish purple flowers.

Increase by division. Plant 8-10cm (3-4in) deep; in autumn. Grow in full sun and gritty, poor to moderately fertile, well-drained soil. Mice, voles, and squirrels may feed on the corms. Birds sometimes pick off the flowers. Corms in storage are prone to rots and moulds.

The following notes refer to the related species Crocus sativus. Crocus sativus has been used in traditional medicine as an emmenagogue and for treatment of ammenorrhoea, abdominal pain, coughs, depression, digestive ailments, fever and pain due to wounds (22, 23). Also as an aphrodisiac, appetite stimulant, diaphoretic, contraceptive, antispasmodic and nerve sedative (6, 22). Contraindications Stigma Croci may induce uterine contractions and is therefore contraindicated during pregnancy (5). Owing to a lack of safety data, use of the stigmas in children and nursing mothers should be restricted to normal food use. Stigma Croci is contraindicated in bleeding disorders.

Crocus – the Greeks called it krokos, the Romans korkum. One of the most ancient plant names.

This cultivar was bred from Crocus tommasinianus (from S. Hungary, S. former Yugoslavia, N.W. Bulgaria). The flower pistils of C. sativa, a relative, is the source of saffron. Originating in Persia, by the 10 century it had spread to northern India and the Mediterranean.