Colchicums autumn 2007

[Anthony Darby]

This wee Colchicum pusillum from Crete is just opening. The flower L-R is open 6mm.

[Boyed]

My colchicum 'Lilac Bedder' finally produced normal flower. All the new buds to be bloomed also look O.K. I think I found out the exact reason of destorted flowers. It's beacause I planted the bulbs under rain in very wet soil. When I dug out a bit of soil near this plant, it was not smooth and so the bulbs were getting destorted when coming out of the ground.

Some pics of my colchicums

[basia_k]

I bought three different colchicums this year: cilicicum 'Purpureum', byzantinum and bornmuelleri. And I put labels in the ground as usual. This one is growing slightly apart, but still, it might be bornmuelleri. Is it? And how to differentiate between bornmuelleri and 'The Giant'?

Regards, Barbara.

[Anthony Darby]

I think that might be Colchicum hosteri variegatum?

[Anthony Darby]

Here's some more pics of my Cc. pusillum and cupanii.

[Boyed]

basia_k

Your colchicum is "The Giant". The white base in c. bornmuelleri has a different shape.

[Anthony Darby]

Another pic of my Colchicum pusillum and another form?

[I.S.]

  Here are my first colchicum pictures from wild for this season. This is that you call C. byzantinum. But in my flora this is synonymous of C. cilicicum. I have seen them in very low altitute with big quantity in meadow. Colored from light pink to violet.
 And the corm also looks like Mark's C. byzantinum.

[Boyed]

Ibrahim,
your pictures are just wonderful! Waht a nice view! Thanks a lot for posting them.
Actually those two species are quite similar only with slightest not very obvious differences. It is stated that colchicum cilicium is somewhat larger in sizes. Besides, they are quite variable.
Here is a pic of my colchicum byzantinum (pale pink form) blooming presently in my garden

[Boyed]

Colchicum 'Neptun'
It has normal sizes, acumulated flowers, petals pointed at the tips

[Boyed]

Colchicum giganteum -  a real giant among colchicums. This year it grew up to 35 cm tall. It somewhat resembles the variety "The Giant', but, in difference to it has, slight tessalation, orange anthers and I would say larger sizes.

[mark smyth]

This is a poor photo to show a new species of Colchicum. I took this in poor light so will get a better shot on Friday.

C. davisii

[Anthony Darby]

Here are two plants that definitely fit the descriptions: Colchicum pusillum and C. cupanii. I think my narrow leaved 'cupanii' (see above)  is mislabelled and should be pusillum [see http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=706.msg19084#msg19084]. My two pots of cupanii from different sources have broad (~1 cm wide) leaves in pairs, whereas my pusillum has narrow (< 0.5 cm wide) leaves and 4/5 of them. Both species have the flowers appearing either after or with the leaves.

[mark smyth]

My cupanii have between two and four leaves. When I go down, only up  , I'll see how many leaves are on my pusillum

[mark smyth]

most have four but some have five grass-like leaves