Colchicum autumnale

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Monocots
Ordo: Liliales

Familia: Colchicaceae
Tribus: Colchiceae
Genus: Colchicum
Species: Colchicum autumnale
Name

Colchicum autumnale L. (1753)

Type species:

Synonyms

Homotypic
Bulbocodium antumnale (L.) Lapeyr. (1813) Civ. Nat. Hist. Jamaica: 202.
Colchicum commune Neck. (1768) Delic. Gallo-Belg. 1: 176; nom. superfl.
Heterotypic
Colchicum autumnale var. vernum Reichard, Syst. Pl. 2: 129 (1779).
Colchicum vernale Hoffm., Deutschl. Fl. Bot. Taschenb. 3: 174 (1800).
Colchicum vernum (Reichard) Georgi, Beschr. Russ. Reich. 3(4): 923 (1800).
Colchicum polyanthon Ker Gawl., Bot. Mag. 26: t. 1028 (1807).
Colchicum autumnale var. album Gray, Nat. Arr. Brit. Pl. 2: 173 (1821 publ. 1822).
Colchicum autumnale var. serotinum Gray, Nat. Arr. Brit. Pl. 2: 173 (1821 publ. 1822).
Colchicum praecox Spenn., Fl. Friburg. 1: 215 (1825).
Colchicum crociflorum Sims, Bot. Mag. 53: t. 2673 (1826).
Colchicum autumnale var. pictum Lej. & Courtois, Comp. Fl. Belg. 2: 33 (1831).
Colchicum orientale Friv. ex Kunth, Enum. Pl. 4: 143 (1843).
Colchicum autumnale var. viridiflorum Opiz, Seznam: 32 (1852).
Colchicum pannonicum Griseb. & Schenk, Arch. Naturgesch. 18(1): 359 (1852).
Colchicum transsilvanicum Schur, Enum. Pl. Transsilv.: 679 (1866).
Colchicum autumnale var. pannonicum (Griseb. & Schenk) Baker, J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 17: 429 (1879).
Colchicum autumnale subsp. pannonicum (Griseb. & Schenk) Nyman, Consp. Fl. Eur.: 743 (1882).
Colchicum autumnale var. transsilvanicum (Schur) Nyman, Consp. Fl. Eur.: 743 (1882).
Colchicum autumnale var. vernale (Hoffm.) Nyman, Consp. Fl. Eur.: 743 (1882).
Colchicum autumnale var. speciosissimum Bubela, Oesterr. Bot. Z. 34: 426 (1884).
Colchicum autumnale subsp. vernum (Reichard) Nyman, Consp. Fl. Eur. 1: 190 (1890).
Colchicum turcicum subsp. pannonicum (Griseb. & Schenk) Nyman, Consp. Fl. Eur., Suppl. 2: 311 (1890).
Colchicum autumnale var. major Tubergen, Nursery Cat. (van Tubergen) 1897(Bloembollen): 16 (1897).
Colchicum bulgaricum Velen., Oesterr. Bot. Z. 1901: 32 (1901).
Colchicum autumnale var. elatius Simonk., Magyar Bot. Lapok 5: 308 (1906).
Colchicum autumnale f. bulgaricum (Velen.) Domin, Magyar Bot. Lapok 8: 330 (1909).
Colchicum autumnale f. pannonicum (Griseb. & Schenk) Domin, Magyar Bot. Lapok 8: 330 (1909).
Colchicum autumnale f. transsilvanicum (Schur) Domin, Magyar Bot. Lapok 8: 331 (1909).
Colchicum autumnale var. bulgaricum (Velen.) Stoj. & Stef., Fl. Bulg. 1: 221 (1925).
Colchicum borisii Stef., Sborn. B'lghar. Akad. Nauk 22: 63 (1926).
Colchicum vranjanum Adamovic ex Stef., Sborn. B'lghar. Akad. Nauk 22: 74 (1926), pro syn.
Colchicum doerfleri var. orientale Kitanov, Izv. Bot. Inst. (Sofia) 1: 384 (1950).
Colchicum drenowskii Degen & Rech.f. ex Kitan., Izv. Bot. Inst. (Sofia) 1: 378 (1950).
Colchicum rhodopaeum Kov., Novosti Sist. Vyssh. Rast. 2: 87 (1965).
Colchicum autumnale f. macropetala Gajic, Glasn. Prir. Mus. Beogradu, Ser. B, Biol. Nauke 32: 8 (1977).
Colchicum autumnale f. milosi Gajic, Glasn. Prir. Mus. Beogradu, Ser. B, Biol. Nauke 32: 8 (1977).
Colchicum autumnale f. radei Gajic, Glasn. Prir. Mus. Beogradu, Ser. B, Biol. Nauke 32: 8 (1977).

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Continental: Europe
Albania; Austria; Baltic States; Belgium; Bulgaria; Czechoslovakia; Denmark; France; Germany; Great Britain; Greece; Hungary; Ireland; Italy; Netherlands; Northwest European Russia; Poland; Romania; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; Ukraine; Yugoslavia

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition

References
Primary references

Linnaeus, C. 1753. Species Plantarum. Tomus I: 341. Reference page.

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2019. Colchicum autumnale in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 October 21. Reference page.
Hassler, M. 2019. Colchicum autumnale. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2019. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 October 21. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2019. Colchicum autumnale. Published online. Accessed: October 21 2019.
Tropicos.org 2019. Colchicum autumnale. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 October 21.

Vernacular names
العربية: لحلاح خريفي, سورنجان خريفي
azərbaycanca: Payız vaxtsızçiçəyi
беларуская: Познацвет асенні
български: Обикновен мразовец, Кърпикожух, Обикновен колхикум, Есенен минзухар
català: Còlquic
čeština: ocún jesenní
Cymraeg: Saffrwm y ddôl
dansk: Høst-Tidløs
Ελληνικά: Κολχικό το φθινοπωρινό
Deutsch: Herbst-Zeitlose, Herbstzeitlose, Teufelswurz
English: autumn crocus, meadow saffron, naked lady
español: cólquico, mataperros, narciso de otoño, quitameriendas, azafrán bastardo, azafrán silvestre, acefrán, azafrán, cebolla montés, chicolquicos, cholquicos, colchico, cólchico, colchico común, cólchico de otoño, colchico oficinal, colchico que mata, cólquico de otoño, despachapastores, flor de otoño, matacán, quitameriendas de otoño, villorita, fell de terra, fllo de sementé, yerba sembradera
eesti: Harilik sügislill
euskara: Azpelar
فارسی: زعفران مرغزار
suomi: Syysmyrkkylilja, alastonimpi
français: colchique d'automne
Frysk: Wylde hjerststyleas
galego: Cólquico, Tollemerendas
hrvatski: Mrazovac
hornjoserbsce: Nazymska pózdnička, Nahula, Jědojty pózdnik, Pózdnja holčka, Nječasnica
magyar: Őszi kikerics
italiano: colchico autumnale, colchino, colchichum autumnale
日本語: イヌサフラン, コルチカム, コルキカム, コルヒクム, コルヒクム根, コルヒクム子, コルヒカム
Ripoarisch: Kokokköl
kurdî: Gulemî
lietuvių: Rudeninis vėlyvis
македонски: Есенски мразовец
Nedersaksies: Nakend wiefjen
Nederlands: Herfsttijloos, Wilde herfsttijloos, Herfststijlloos
norsk nynorsk: Tidløyse, Tidlaus, Naken jomfru
ирон: Уазалы малусæг
polski: Zimowit jesienny
português: açafrão-do-prado
română: Brândușă de toamnă, Brânduşă de toamnă, Brîndușă de toamnă, Brânduşa de toamnă, Brândușa de toamnă, Brînduşă de toamnă
русский: Безвременник осенний
slovenčina: jesienka obyčajná
slovenščina: Jesenski podlesek
shqip: xherrokulli
српски / srpski: Мразовац / Mrazovac
svenska: Tidlösa, Nakna jungfrun, Hösttidlösa, Vanlig tidlösa
українська: Пізньоцвіт осінній, Дикий шафран, Зимовик, Морозець
Tiếng Việt: Bả chó, Cây bả chó
walon: Coltchike, Colchicum automnale
中文（简体）: 秋水仙
中文（繁體）: 秋水仙
中文（臺灣）: 秋水仙
中文: 秋水仙

Colchicum autumnale, commonly known as autumn crocus, meadow saffron,[3] or naked ladies,[4] is a toxic autumn-blooming flowering plant that resembles the true crocuses, but is a member of the plant family Colchicaceae, unlike the true crocuses, which belong to the family Iridaceae. The name "naked ladies" is because the flowers emerge from the ground long before the leaves appear.[5] Despite the vernacular name of "meadow saffron", this plant is not the source of saffron, which is obtained from the saffron crocus, Crocus sativus – and that plant, too, is sometimes called "autumn crocus".

The species is cultivated as an ornamental in temperate areas, in spite of its toxicity. The cultivar 'Nancy Lindsay' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.[6][7]

Description

This herbaceous perennial has leaves up to 25 cm (10 in) long. The flowers are solitary, 4–7 cm (2–3 in) across, with six tepals and six stamens with orange anthers and three white styles.[8]: 324  At the time of fertilisation, the ovary is below ground.[9]
Distribution

C. autumnale is the only species of its family native to Great Britain and Ireland,[10][9] with notable populations under the stewardship of the County Wildlife Trusts. It also occurs across mainland Europe from Portugal to Ukraine, and is reportedly naturalised in Sweden, European Russia, and New Zealand.[2]

Pharmaceutical uses

The bulb-like corms of C. autumnale contain colchicine, a useful drug with a narrow therapeutic index. Colchicine is approved in many countries for the treatment of gout and familial Mediterranean fever, but has a low therapeutic index. Colchicine is also used in plant breeding to produce polyploid strains.

Toxicity

Colchicum plants are deadly poisonous due to their colchicine content and have been mistaken by foragers for ramsons, which they vaguely resemble.[11] The symptoms of colchicine poisoning are similar to those of arsenic, and no antidote is known.

This plant (and colchicine itself) poses a particular threat to felines. The leaves and fruit of meadow saffron contain the highest level of toxins, but all parts of the plant are regarded as poisonous.[12]

References

Linnaeus, Carl von. 1753. Species Plantarum 1: 341, Colchicum autumnale
Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Colchicum autumnale
BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
A R Clapham, T G Tutin and E F Warburg, Flora of the British Isles, second edition, 1962, p 982
Gajic. 1977. Glasnik prirodnaučkog museja u Beogradu, Serija B, Bioloake nauke Nauke 32: 8. Colchicum autumnale
"RHS Plantfinder - Colchicum autumnale 'Nancy Lindsay'". Retrieved 12 January 2018.
"AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 22. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
Blamey, M.; Fitter, R.; Fitter, A (2003). Wild flowers of Britain and Ireland: The Complete Guide to the British and Irish Flora. London: A & C Black. ISBN 978-1408179505.
Parnell, J. and Curtis, T. 2012. Webb's An Irish Flora. Cork University Press. ISBN 978-185918-4783
Clive Stace, New Flora of the British Isles 3rd edition 1991, p 855
"Podlesek usoden za dve osebi". 24ur.com. April 6, 2018. Retrieved April 6, 2018.

"Meadow Saffron Poisoning in Cats". wagwalking.com. Retrieved April 24, 2018.

Further reading

Autumn Bulbs by Roy Leeds (B.T. Batsford Ltd) 2006 ISBN 0-7134-8962-6
Brvar, Miran; Ploj, Tom; Kozelj, Gordana; Mozina, Martin; Noc, Marko; Bunc, Matjaz (2004). "Case report: fatal poisoning with Colchicum autumnale". Critical Care. 8 (1): R56–9. doi:10.1186/cc2427. PMC 420069. PMID 14975056.