I was once strongly chided by a customer who received these bulbs and chewed me out because the throat wasn't "purple enough like the pictures". Trust me it's purple in the throat. I think most people have seen an overly saturated "photoshop" enhanced picture and have taken it for gospel. Seems like some botanists are now wanting to lump this back in with C. asumaniae, but It's really one of the finest of the Saffron group even if it's a bit variable in flower tone and marking. It’s important to note that many Crocus species can be highly variable.