COLCHICUM AUTUMNALE

Autumn CrocusMeadow SaffronNaked LadiesNaked BoysUpstart

A genus of hardy to half hardy cormous perennials with goblet-shaped flowers, mainly blooming from autumn to spring, before the emergence of leaves which remain until mid summer. Most require a sunny position and are suitable for naturalizing in grass .

The name Colchicum comes from Colchis, a mountainous area that borders the Black Sea in Georgia and is home to many of the species as well as being the fabled land of the ‘Golden Fleece’.

Most grow in sub alpine meadows or on stony (sometimes wooded) hillsides.

Colchicums are also native to Europe (including the UK), North Africa, West & Central Asia, Northern India & Western China.

These plants have been recorded in early herbal guides as a treatment for inflammation.

It is already used for gout and other arthritic conditions.

The Colchicum has a toxic element, the alkaloid called colchecine which is used to slow the growth and even kill a range of different cancers.

Because colchecine is toxic to other tissues also, scientists have altered this molecule so it is inactive until it reaches the tumour.

The use of the roots and seeds in traditional medicine is thought to have arisen due to the presence of this drug.

Its leaves, seeds and corm are poisonous. The murderess Catherine Wilson is thought to have used it to poison a number of victims in the 19th century.

There are about 45 species in the genus with ‘crocus–like’ flowers, few of which are in cultivation.

The root of the

colchicum is an

elongated corm.

These autumn flowering plants have blooms emerging from September through to November.

Some varieties being subdued white to a pink hue while others provide splashes of vivid purple-red and deep purple flowers.

Although they look like crocuses they belong to the Lily family – not the Iris family, which is the family of the crocus.

To tell the difference between colchicums and spring flowering crocus –

The colchicum has six stamens and three styles and the flower cups the seed receptacle.

The crocus has three stamens and one style and the seed receptacle is below the flower.

These are mine……..

Colchicum luteum This is unique in being the only yellow Colchicum - all others are pink,white or shades of purple. It makes attractive clusters of small, vivid yellow or yellow-orange flowers from mid-February on, depending on your climate. In Caneja they come up after the first September rain. They like a very well-drained, summer-dry, sunny spot outside, or a bulb frame would be ideal. It will grow well also under glass in a pot or pan. It needs nothing warmer than frost-free (i.e. not tropical!) with good air circulation in winter as it will start into leaf soon after the flowers are made.

If you would like to create a drift of colour without having to buy a lot of plants, C. Autumnale is ideal, as it increases quickly. Just a few corms planted under a tree or large shrub will increase at least four fold in a few years.

It’s very easy to make new plants from the offsets that are regularly produced by Autumn Crocus corms. Plants can also be grown from seed but this takes almost 5 years from sowing to flowering.

The corms should be planted 6-9 inches apart, the top 2inches below the surface of the ground during July or August.

Colchicums are obviously a popular and well-loved plant!

They made stamps with their pictures on!!