Colchicums autumn 2007

[ashley]

Here is Colchicum cupanii var bertolinii - as raised from seed supplied by Monocot Mike Salmon.  It is similar to the 'Crete Form' that I grow in the garden but a little stronger in its pink colour.  I cannot find any references to var bertolinii.

That's stunning Tony.  Should you ever have seed to spare I'd love to try it.

[mark smyth]

Anthony do you know Latin or do you have a good reference book?

[mark smyth]

Taken with my 5+ year old Nikon Coolpix 5000 is a better photo of Colchicum sanguicolle

[Anthony Darby]

Bit of both Mark. Is this (potentially) a large plant?

[mark smyth]

Anthony it's a large bulb with a short single flower so far

[mark smyth]

The measurement are 8cm high and 6cm across when open

[Kees Jan]

The red membranous sheath (or cataphyll) makes C. sanguicolle one of the few Colchicum species that is easy to identify. I very recently photographed this species in SW Turkey, where it locally grows in very large numbers. I only found sanguicolle above +-1200 m, it is not bothered by (over)grazing as it was particularly plentiful in a couple of overgrazed locations (I think all Colchicums are poisonous). I saw this Colchicum at different locations with different crocuses: mathewii, palasii ssp. palasii and cancellatus ssp. lycius.

In the wild C. sanguicolle is variable in flower shape and size. It is superficially similar to C. cilicicum, but the red bits make it distinct and I think cilicicum is somewhat tesselated. In the Flora of Turkey at least one boissieri location in SW Turkey is listed that seems to be sanguicolle. Sanguicolle seems to be a species that was described after the publication of the Flora of Turkey, I suppose C. cilicicum is absent from sw Turkey (?). The very long style is a feature of both sanguicolle and cilicicum.

I will post some pictures of wild C. sanguicolle populations later, but this will take a couple of weeks.

[zephirine]

Thank you all for so many wonderful pics and info!
We still have a few (but only a few, alas) wild colchicum autumnale (I think!) in some grassy, still preserved clearings in the woods around my place.
In my fairly wet garden, most colchicum become floppy as soon as they open.
The one that behaves best is C. autumnale 'Nancy Lindsay' :
.
Following a friend's advice, this year I tried to grow the double 'waterlily' through a carpet of dark purple ajuga ('Black Stallion' in this case). It did work pretty well, the slender stems were held by the ajuga foliage and the contrast was eye candy:

I also tried C. cilicicum, but it is generally a complete mess before long. I'll have to find another good companion for it, I guess...

Zephirine

[I.S.]

  Here are a few colchicum photos I was thinking to see much more.
It seems late for some colchicum here.
C. baytopiorum 04.11
 C. stevenii 04.11
 C. stevenii ngbb 04.11

[I.S.]

  I have two more photos one was without ssp. And the other one with the name Colchicum lycium which I have never heard before.

[SueG]

Following a friend's advice, this year I tried to grow the double 'waterlily' through a carpet of dark purple ajuga ('Black Stallion' in this case). It did work pretty well, the slender stems were held by the ajuga foliage and the contrast was eye candy:
Zephirine

I like the results of this - something to try for next year I think for the double white one I've got which flops a bit - thanks
Sue

[Anthony Darby]

  I have two more photos one was without ssp. And the other one with the name C. lycium which I have never heard before.

I do like these, for two reasons: they are small and much darker than anything I have that size. Will you have seed of these in the spring Ibrahim?

[zephirine]

I'm glad you decided to try, Sue! Aren't forums meant for that? Sharing (sowing? ) good ideas?
Look..the original idea came for me from a german lady-friend in Berlin, who had initially learnt it from an american fantastic gardener in Michigan...a tour in France, and hop! The idea-seed is now landing in Northumberland!
Zeph
PS : I interplanted the colchicums with muscari 'Valerie Finnis', the sky blue one, which is a lovely sight against the dark purple ajuga in early spring too, before the darker blue flowers of the ajuga bloom themselves!

[Lesley Cox]

Zephirine and Sue, I really like that idea too, planting a "naked" bulb, the colchicum, to come through a neat mat of a colour which contasts with, but also enhances it. I'll try it as well so there you are, the idea has now travelled to the lower South Pacific!

[Maggi Young]

So does the Ajuga not suffer from being covered by the Colchicum leaves? That is what would worry me.