Colchicum & relatives 2016

[hadacekf]

Colchicum Waterlily
Colchicum cilicicum akseki

[Maggi Young]

It always gives me such pleasure to see your bulbs looking so good and neat, Franz. The Vienna sunshine keeps them in better shape than the Aberdeen climate, that's for sure.

[Matt T]

Colchicum cilicicum akseki

 
Amazing, Franz!

[Gabriela]

I looked at all September Cochicums this evening - they are all splendid, especially with the sun shining on them

[johnralphcarpenter]

Colchicum 'The Giant', Colchicum 'Waterlily', Colchicum x aggripinum, Colchicum autumnale 'Album'.

[Maggi Young]

A couple of useful Colchicum papers ....

A phylogenetic analysis of the genus Colchicum L. (Colchicaceae) based on sequences from six plastid regions
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iapt/tax/2011/00000060/00000005/art00011 - available to buy for about £12.50

Authors: Persson, Karin1; Petersen, Gitte2; del Hoyo, Alberto3; Seberg, Ole2; Jørgensen, Tina2
Source: Taxon, Volume 60, Number 5, October 2011, pp. 1349-1365(17)
Publisher: International Association for Plant Taxonomy
Abstract:
A phylogenetic analysis of the genus Colchicum (including Bulbocodium and Merendera) is presented. The phylogeny includes all but four of the 100 species and all subspecies currently recognized in the genus, two insufficiently known species (C. mirzoevae, C. stenopetalum), and one cultivated specimen (C. laetum hort.) probably of hybrid origin. The analysis is based on 292 parsimony-informative characters derived from nucleotide sequences from six plastid regions (trnL intron, trnL-trnF IGS, trnY-trnD IGS, trnH-psbA IGS, atpB-rbcL IGS, rps16 intron) and 33 morphological, life history, and chromosomal characters. The genus Colchicum is strongly supported as monophyletic. The morphological data are considerably more homoplasious than the molecular characters, but provide added resolution to the trees derived from a combined analysis. The phylogenetic hypothesis is largely in conflict with the subgenera and sections recognized by Stefanov, and agrees better with some of the informal species groups defined by Persson in earlier publications. Additional data will be needed to resolve all relationships.



and


The Evolution of Colchicaceae, with a Focus on Chromosome Numbers Systematic Botany 39(2):415-427. 2014
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1600/036364414X680852
available to buy for about  £19
 
 Juliana Chacón,1,2 Natalie Cusimano,1 and Susanne S. Renner1
1 Department of Biology, University of Munich, 80638 Munich, Germany.
2 Author for correspondence: (juliana.chacon@bio.lmu.de)
Communicating Editor: Mark P. Simmons
Abstract
The lily family Colchicaceae consists of geophytic herbs distributed on all continents except the Neotropics. It is particularly diverse in southern Africa, where 80 of the 270 species occur. Colchicaceae exhibit a wide range of ploidy levels, from 2n = 14 to 2n = 216. To understand where and how this cytogenetic diversity arose, we generated multilocus phylogenies of the Colchicaceae and the Colchicum clade that respectively included 85 or 137 species plus relevant outgroups. To infer the kinds of events that could explain the observed numbers in the living species (dysploidy, polyploidization, or demi-duplication, i.e. fusion of gametes of different ploidy), we compared a series of likelihood models on phylograms, penalized likelihood ultrametric trees, and relaxed clock chronograms that contained the 58 or 112 species with published chromosome counts. While such models involve simplification and cannot address the processes behind chromosomal rearrangements, they can help frame questions about the direction of change in chromosome numbers in well-sampled groups. The results suggest that dysploidy played a large role in the Colchicaceae, with the exception of Colchicum itself for which we inferred frequent demi-duplication. While it is known that triploids facilitate the fixation of tetraploidy and that plant species often include individuals of odd ploidy level (triploids, pentaploids), we hesitate to accept the phylogenetically inferred scenario without molecular-cytogenetic work and data from experimental hybridizations.

[Thomas Seiler]

Colchicum cilicicum var. purpureum

[Maggi Young]

Charming photo with a pollinator, Thomas.

[Matt T]

A mystery Colchicum. I will have to sit down with the books tonight to try to identify it. The leaves belong to other species.

[johnralphcarpenter]

Colchicum pannonicum.

[Yann]

Matt : pusillum? does it has pinky petals once opened?
if not then it could be hungaricum, do you know where it was sourced?

[Matt T]

Matt : pusillum?

That is my gut feeling just looking at it, but I will key it out to check. Thanks Yann.

[Matt T]

if not then it could be hungaricum, do you know where it was sourced?

It is pink,Yann, also flowering now and with yellow anthers so it couldn't be C.hungaricum.

[johnralphcarpenter]

The diminutive Colchicum troodii.

[Yann]

a nice one, flowering after the rain? here no sign of water