Colchicum
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| Water: | ◍ | ?"?" is not in the list (wet, moist, moderate, dry, less when dormant) of allowed values for the "Water" property. |
Read about Colchicum in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
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Colchicum (from Colchis, a country in Asia Minor, where the genus is most plentiful). Liliaceae. Meadow Saffron. Autumn Crocus. Autumn flowering, rarely spring-flowering, bulbous plants with crocus- like blossoms. Leaves either all radical, or radical and cauline, sometimes ciliate, appearing in early spring and usually dying down by June: fls. various colored, very beautiful; perianth tubular, varying from purple to white (there is 1 yellow-fld. sort), the limb 6-parted; stamens 6, inserted on the perianth; ovary 3-celled, many-ovuled: caps, ovate-oblong in most of the species, the seeds globose.—A difficult genus, very much confused botanically, but horticulturally well known and popular. They are narcotic poisons. J. G. Baker, Jour. Linn. Soc. 17. 1880. G. B. Mallett, in Flora and Sylva, 1:108, 1903. has an excellent horticultural account of the genus. Colchicums are most charming and interesting plants of easy culture. The bloom comes in August and September, at a season when the herbaceous beds begin to lose their freshness, and, although individual flowers are fugacious, others follow in quick succession, thus prolonging the time of flowering. Opening, as they do, without foliage, some help is required from the greenery of other plants; for this purpose any low-growing, not top dense kind, may be used, such as the dwarf artemisias, sedums, or Phlox subulata. Colchicums are most effective in masses, which can be established by thick planting, or as the result of many years' growth. They can be grown in rockwork, in beds, or in grass which is not too thick nor too often mown; they will thrive in partial shade, but succeed best in an open sunny border. They should be planted in August or early September, in deep well-enriched soil, a light sandy loam, with the tip of the long bulbs 2 to 3 inches below the surface; some protection should be given in winter. They remain in good condition for many years, and should not be disturbed unless they show signs of deterioration, fewer flowers and poor foliage. Then they should be lifted and separated, just after the leaves die, end of June or early July. This is the usual method of propagation, but they can also be increased from seeds, sown just after ripening, June to July; the seedlings may not appear until the following spring. Seedlings bloom when three to five years old. The bulbs are obtainable from the Dutch growers at moderate prices, and they must be imported early; otherwise they are apt to bloom in the cases. C. autumnale, with rosy purple flowers, is a well-known and the most commonly cultivated species. There are numerous varieties, of which the best are the white, the double white and the double purple. Belonging to this same group and not differing much except in size and shading of the flower, are C. byzantinum, C. montanum, and C. umbrosum. C. speciosum, a native of the Caucasus, is the finest in every way of the genus. The flowers are much larger and of better shape, and the color, a rosy pink, is much more delicate; the habit of growth is robust, and the plant is most easily handled. C. Parkinsonii is distinct from the above varieties inasmuch as the flowers are tessellated, purple and white, giving a curious checker-board appearance which is unique; the leaves are much smaller and are wavy. C. agrippinum, C. Bivonae, C. cilicicum and C. Sibthorpii, are other species having checkered flowers more or less similar to C. Parkinsonii. C. Bulbocodium-Bulbocodium vernum. Monograph by J. G. Baker in Jour. Linn. Soc., vol. 17 (1880). (B. M. Watson.) CH
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Species
- C. gigantium, Hort. A plant with magnificent pink fls.—Is not certainly referable to any species. The name appears in several catalogues, but is unknown in botanical literature. CH
- C. hydrophilum, Hort. An early spring - flowering species; bulb size of a walnut: lvs. and fls. appearing together, the fls. bright clear rose and taller than the lvs., the latter growing after the fls. are gone and attaining a length of 6 in.; fls. in clusters of 3-15; stamens half as long as the segms. Taurus Mts. CH
- C. sicheanum, Hort. A late autumn-flowering species with rich reddish purple fls. Asia Minor.CH
- C. veratrifolium. Hort. Similar to some of the forms of C. speciosum, but earlier in flowering.CH
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References
- Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
External links
- w:Colchicum. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
- Colchicum QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)
