The English names for colchicum are “autumn-crocus” and “meadow-saffron,” which are misnomers, because there are numerous species and varieties of the true crocus which bloom in the fall; and the saffron of commerce is a crocus (Crocus sativus). Although the flowers of colchicum and crocus look alike, they are not closely related, belonging not only in different genera but also in different plant families – crocus in the Iridaceae (iris) and colchicum in the Liliaceae (lily). So, let us drop the misnomers and use the botanical names – crocus (Kroh-kus) and colchicum (kolchikum).
Colchicum contains about thirty species. fall flowering for the most part. Usually their color is mauve, or lavenderish, or red-purple; in some the petals are tessellated – checkered with light and dark pink (C. Parkinsoni and C. speciosum); and there are white forms (C. autumnale album) and some excellent hybrids. They are capable of blooming without benefit of soil and water and if you are looking for a conversation piece and have a plentiful supply of the bulbs, a few could be looked on as expendable and allowed to bloom, unnaturally, in a conspicuous place in the living room.
They are not finicky in their soil requirements; and will grow in full sun or part shade. They should be planted so that the soil above the top of the bulb is equal in depth to twice its height. Planted in late summer or early fall, they start to bloom almost immediately. When the flowers have faded, colchicums go underground and nothing more is seen of them until the spring when the rather coarse leaves appear. They are tolerable until they become unsightly when they start to fade in June.
This growth habit demands careful placement. They can be grown in the flower border in association with plants such as gypsophila Bristol Fairy, which serves to hide their blowzy leaves. Or they may be naturalized in thin woodland or planted in a bed by themselves.
Colchicum autumnale is a source for the drug colchicine used in medicine and by plant breeders to change the chromosomes of the plants with which they are working.
The following are among the best: Colchicum autumnalis and its white variety album; C. speciosum and its variety (album); together with hybrid forms SUCh aS AUTUMN QUEEN, the GIANT and WATERLILY, a variety with double flowers.
Fall-blooming Crocuses
The fall-blooming crocuses have much in common with colchicum – in time of bloom, in their way of growing and their cultural needs. They differ in the depth at which they should be planted-2 to 3 inches is ample for them; and their leaves which are grasslike in crocus while those of colchicum are up to 2 inches in width. Rodents are fond feeders on crocus – mice eat the corms and rabbits are crazy about the taste qualities of the leaves and flowers. (But these pests are wise enough to avoid the colchicum which contains a poisonous alkaloid!)
Practically all of the fall-blooming crocuses are worth growing. They are admirable in the rock garden, especially so when planted along with some low-growing ground cover such as rock-cress and cerastium. They will even make their way through pachysandra when their flowers are forced to rise to a height of 12 inches instead of the customary 6 inches.
Species and varieties that are specially appealing include; C. sativus, whose showy orange stigmas (which are the source of the saffron of commerce) form a striking contrast with the lilac and violet petals; C. speciosus, one of the best varieties ranging from white to pale blue to dark blue; and C. zonarus which has rosy lilac flowers with a yellow throat.
If you are planning to buy any of these fall-blooming bulbs don’t dillydally hut get your order placed right away. If you delay you may have the same experience that I had once with a shipment of fall-blooming crocus which had started to bloom while still in their packages!
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