Worldwideflora contest entry
Name
Latin name: Colchicum autumnale
Local name: autumn crocus, naked ladies or meadow saffron
Common Name: autumn crocus
Type: Bulb flower
Family: Colchicaceae
Native Range: All the Europe
Height: 17 to 25 cm
Blooming Time: from August to late September
Color: Lavender pink
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Medium
Flower: Showy
Distribution
- Colchicum autumnale - native to Great Britain and Ireland.
It also occurs across mainland Europe
Pharmaceutical uses:
- bulbs contain colchicine, a useful drug with a narrow therapeutic index.
Toxicity
- Colchicum plants are deadly poisonous due to their colchicine content (bulbs)
It is known that Colchicum autumnale is a late summer blooming flowering plant that resembles the true crocuses, but unlike the true crocuses which belong to the Iridaceae family, she is a member of the Colchicaceae plant family. The "Naked ladies" name comes from the fact that the flowers emerge from the ground long after the leaves have died. This plant is not the source of saffron, which is obtained from the saffron crocus, despite the name of "meadow saffron"
The species is commonly cultivated as an ornamental in temperate areas, in spite of its toxicity.
References Wiki, Botanical Garden
Camera: DSLR Nikon D3400, lens AF-P 18-55mm, f/3.5 - 5.6
Location and date: Dumbraveni forest, Dobrogea (Romania) 5 November 2016