Colchicum 2010

[Oron Peri]

A tiny Colchicum starts to flower today, C. tuviae.
This species is endemic to Israel and Palestine growing in semidesert conditions, amazingly it seems that there are male and female plants.
Part of the plants lack the style, this phenomenon is still to be studied.
in the photo what seems to be a male plant.

[ranunculus]

What an absolute gem!

[BULBISSIME]

So nice Oron !!
Very easy to find it in a rocky desert 

[krisderaeymaeker]

A tiny Colchicum starts to flower today, C. tuviae.
This species is endemic to Israel and Palestine growing in semidesert conditions, amazingly it seems that there are male and female plants.
Part of the plants lack the style, this phenomenon is still to be studied.
in the photo what seems to be a male plant.

What an amazing thing Oron ! Thank you for posting , another unknown  gem  became known...
Here Colchicum hirsutum don't open his flowers now. Due the lack of light , the cold or the combination of both?

[PeterT]

Thankyou for showing C. tuviae Oron, it is new to me too.
Kris, this is my Colchicum hirsutum from 28th December - a year ago. It has increaced for me and I have some offsetts but one bulb rotted this spring. it is not so advanced as yours and is frozen solid just now. Lack of light stretches the flowers untill they fall over and so does heat. If they are cold with good light (and not frozen) they open nicely but the petals dont open without light (or heat which ruins the flowers).  I would be happy to swap a small offsett in the summer as selfing has given no seed.

[krisderaeymaeker]

Thankyou for showing C. tuviae Oron, it is new to me too.
Kris, this is my Colchicum hirsutum from 28th December - a year ago. It has increaced for me and I have some offsetts but one bulb rotted this spring. it is not so advanced as yours and is frozen solid just now. Lack of light stretches the flowers untill they fall over and so does heat. If they are cold with good light (and not frozen) they open nicely but the petals dont open without light (or heat which ruins the flowers).  I would be happy to swap a small offsett in the summer as selfing has given no seed.

Thank you Peter. If mine make offsetts we maybe could swap.

[Oron Peri]

After showing here my C. tuviae i went to see it in flower in its habitat in the Judea Desert, nothing to do, they always look happier in the wild.

This site is in flower 8 days after receiving only 15mm of rain.
On the way there C. stevenii is also in bloom.

[Maggi Young]

they always look happier in the wild.

  Those are looking pretty content, for sure. Thank you for sharing, Oron .

The ground is pretty bare, isn't it?  Is that usual for the sites where these bulbs grow?

[mark smyth]

Oron, thanks for showing us that little beauty

[TheOnionMan]

Oron, that's about the sweetest little colchicum (C. tuviae) I've seen to date, I'm glad you found something to do and then showed them to us

[Oron Peri]

Thanks Mark,

they always look happier in the wild.

 Those are looking pretty content, for sure. Thank you for sharing, Or on .

The ground is pretty bare, isn't it?  Is that usual for the sites where these bulbs grow?

Maggi, the ground is bare at the moment but soon it will be covered by annuals.

Here is another cute one,  C. psaridis from the Peloponnese.

[Natalia]

Oron, magnificent Colchicum!
 You show the world of desert fine and unfamiliar to us! Many thanks!

[Hoy]

After showing here my C. tuviae i went to see it in flower in its habitat in the Judea Desert, nothing to do, they always look happier in the wild.

This site is in flower 8 days after receiving only 15mm of rain.
On the way there C. stevenii is also in bloom.

Oron, you don't need snow to soften the harsh nature of the desert!
This was a real eyeopener. Thank you.

[fermi de Sousa]

Oron,
how excellent to see these little beauties in the wild! Thanks so much for posting,
cheers
fermi

[I.S.]

  Here is my Colchicum triphyllum also flowered earler than wild.