Colchicum autumn 2009

[mark smyth]

Thanks John.

Hagen is that Colchicum always so bright and clean?

[Ragged Robin]

Hagen, your C.ANTARES group is just gorgeous in the light and as Mark says looks so fresh and clean - no rain splashing earth in your garden it seems 

[johnw]

John, if you mean, your colchicum looks like this, than it could be ANTARES. It`s  early flowering in the season.

Hagen - Thanks I think you've got it.

I should have re-set the white balance on the Nikon as it is pinker than my photograph shows.

johnw

[mark smyth]

On the Beech Grove Garden yesterday one of the presenters said "These are naked ladies also known as autumn Crocus or Colchicums" Why do gardening programmes continue to tell viewers such rubbish

Also the man, I've forgotten his name, planted Narcissus tight under a Phildelphus saying that as it grows it will hide the untidy leaves of the Narcissus and by using up the water in the soil the bulbs will be kept dry which will help initiate the flowers. I think in time the Narcissus will be hidden deep insdie the stems of the Philadelphus

[Anthony Darby]

Books get it wrong too Mark. My 'Wayside and Woodland Blossoms' by Edward Step F.L.S., revised by A. B. Jackson A.L.S. (1941) lists Meadow Saffron as Colchicum autumnale, also calling it 'Naked Boys' or 'Naked Ladies' [and has Autumn Crocus as Crocus nudiflorus]. The book says "it [Colchicum autumnale] is the seeds and the root of this plant that provide the saffron of the pharmacopoeia. The town of Saffron Walson, Essex, got its name from the long-continued cultivation of Colchicum in the vicinity[sic]".

In the "Handbook of the British Flora" (a description of the flowering plants and ferns indigenous to, or naturalised in the British Isles. For the use of beginners and amateurs bu George Beentham, C.M.G., F.R.S; revised by Sir J. D. Hooker, K.C.S.I., C.B., F.R..S., Seventh edition revised by A. B. Rendle, M.A., D.Sc., F.R.S. Keeper of botany, British Museum (1930) describes Colchicum autumnale as 'Meadow Saffron', although it makes no mention of the spice saffron.

Clapham, Tutin and Warburg in 'Flora of the British Isles' (1952) CUP, and long considered the floral Bible, lists Colchicum autumnale as 'Meadow Saffron, Naked Ladies, Autumn Crocus. It lists Crocus nudiflorus as 'Autumnal Crocus'. Interestingly, C. biflorus is listed as introduced but called the 'Scotch Crocus'!

In other words, the misnomer has been perpetuated from the time of Linnaeus (even in "Lee on Botany" dated 1777).

[Sinchets]

Thanks for the description of C.turcicum, Tony. We are not sure which species we posted pics of last week, as the ones we saw yesterday look more like C.autumnale.
These plants were Colchicum flowering on the coast near Primorsko, about 20m from the crashing waves and at an altitude of between 5 and 7 metres. The plants were far more robust with larger flowers and many more flowers to a plant. Some flowers had very faint tesselations and plants seemed to be more clump forming.
Does anyone have any ideas whether our local species is Colchicum turcicum or a very gracile C.autumnale?

[johnw]

John, if you mean, your colchicum looks like this, than it could be ANTARES. It`s  early flowering in the season.

Hagen - I tried photographing mine again today with the white balance corrected. I think yours is a tad pinker. Has 'Antares' been around for a long time?

C. speciosum white form is just peeping through the soil along with C. aggrippinum. A lttile rain might speed them up as it is warm here.

johnw

[Hagen Engelmann]

John, look here: http://www.ut.ee/botaed/index.php?module=200&op=11&id=85

[Sinchets]

Posted again for comparison, the pics of the plants which we are not sure if one is Colchicum turcicum or C.autumnale.

[Oron Peri]

Thanks for the description of C.turcicum, Tony. We are not sure which species we posted pics of last week, as the ones we saw yesterday look more like C.autumnale.
These plants were Colchicum flowering on the coast near Primorsko, about 20m from the crashing waves and at an altitude of between 5 and 7 metres. The plants were far more robust with larger flowers and many more flowers to a plant. Some flowers had very faint tesselations and plants seemed to be more clump forming.
Does anyone have any ideas whether our local species is Colchicum turcicum or a very gracile C.autumnale?

Posted again for comparison, the pics of the plants which we are not sure if one is Colchicum turcicum or C.autumnale.

Simon,

Going through  the material I have regarding the two species you have mentioned as possibilities , it seems to be C. turcicum rather than C. autumnale..
Brian Mathew says: 'A rather strikingly colored species, non-tesseled [or only faintly]'...

C. autumnale is described as pale pinkish colored, non tesseled.

C. turchicum is described also as a low altitudes plant.

Any way if you will have a chance to take a photo of the leaves later on it would be much easier  to tell  which one it is.

It is very difficult to distinguish some of the colchicum when they are in flower but often there is a great difference in the form, size and color of the leaves,
the form of the bulb can help too.

[Sinchets]

Many thanks, Oron. It wil certainly be easy to take photos of the leaves of the local species.
The reason for some of our confusion is that our Flora Bulgarica lists both species as being found in our area, but only C.autumnale being found in the Strandja, where today's postings were photographed. It also says that C.turcicum grows above 1000m, which contradicts the information provided by Tony from 'The Flora of Turkey'. Flora Bulgarica does have it's quirks though 

[Hans A.]

First Colchicums are in flower.
Colchicum variegatum which I thought to have lost it as last year I could not find any flower and a Colchicum spec. which were raised from seeds collected in Crete. Any Ideas are welcome.

[Ragged Robin]

Great photo of Colchicum variegatum, Hans, showing the markings brilliantly 

[Oron Peri]

Hans,
The one from Crete is C. macrophyllum.

[Hans A.]

Thanks Robin - glad you like it! With such a spectacular fotomodel it is quite easy to make a fine picture! 
Thanks Oron, this was one of my thoughts too, but should C. macrophyllum not have purple anthers and green pollen?