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autumn crocus


n.

A corm-producing European and North African plant (Colchicum autumnale) having showy colorful flowers that appear in the fall. Also called meadow saffron.


 
 

Any plant of the genus Colchicum (lily family), sometimes called meadow saffron, comprising about 30 species of herbaceous plants native to Eurasia. The stemless, crocuslike flowers bloom in autumn. Several species are cultivated as ornamentals for their pink, white, or bluish-purple tubelike flowers, especially C. autumnale, C. bornmuelleri, and C. speciosum. The swollen underground stem of C. autumnale contains colchicine, a substance used to relieve the pain of gout.

For more information on autumn crocus, visit Britannica.com.

 
Columbia Encyclopedia: meadow saffron
or autumn crocus, perennial garden ornamental (Colchicum autumnale) of the family Liliaceae (lily family). Native to Europe and N Africa, it has escaped from gardens to meadows and fields in some parts of the United States. Its poisonous corms and seeds were the source of the drug colchicine. The purplish flowers, which bloom in the fall when the leaves are gone, resemble those of the true crocus and true saffron (of the iris family) but have six stamens instead of three. Other species of Colchicum are also popular garden plants. Meadow saffron is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Liliopsida, order Liliales, family Liliaceae.


 
Wikipedia: Colchicum
Colchicum
Colchicum speciosum
Colchicum speciosum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Liliales
Family: Colchicaceae
Genus: Colchicum
Species

See text.

Colchicum is a genus of flowering plants containing around sixty species of perennial plants which grow from corms. It is a member of family Colchicaceae, and is native to West Asia and part of the Mediterranean coast.

Colchicum autumnale, commonly called "autumn crocus" or "naked ladies", is the best known species. It produces purple, pink or white flowers resembling those of the crocus which appear from September to October in its native latitudes. It forms a rosette of dark green leaves, but only after flowering.

Several other species, such as C. speciosum, C. album, C. corsicum and C. agrippinum, are grown for their flowers.

Its leaves, corm and seeds are poisonous, containing the alkaloid colchicine. Its roots and seeds have long been considered to have valuable medicinal properties deriving from the use of small doses of this drug, such as to treat gout.

In this genus the ovary of the flower is underground. As a consequence, the styles are extremely long in proportion, often more than 10cm.

In the UK, the National Collection of Cochicums is maintained at Felbrigg Hall, Norfolk.

Species

  • Colchicum autumnale
  • Colchicum speciosum
  • Colchicum album
  • Colchicum corsicum
  • Colchicum agrippinum
  • Colchicum byzantinum
  • Colchicum bornmuelleri
  • Colchicum cilicicum
  • Colchicum laetum
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Gardening
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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Colchicum" Read more

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