COLCHICUM MACROPHYLLUM

Family:- COLCHICACEAE

Common Name:- None

Synonyms:- None

Meaning:- Colchicum (Gr) After Colchis, a Black sea port. A Name used by the

Greek physician and botanist Dioscorides.

Macrophyllum (Gr) With large leaves.

General description:- Large, autumn flowering, Bulb large.

Stock:-

1) Corm, 5-6 x 4-5 cm; tunic dark brown, coriaceous, with a long neck.

Leaves:-

1) Spring leaves, 3-4, up to 35 cm x 140 mm, developing after anthesis strongly

Flowers:-

1) Large, autumn flowering 1-4, infundibuliform.

2) Perianth-segments, up to 45 x 22 mm, tessellated, lilac-purple, often paler or

white at the base, oblong-elliptical, acute.

3) Filaments, up to 20 mm.

4) Anthers, 8-10 mm, purple; pollen green.

5) Styles, shortly curved at the apex.

Fruit:-

1) Capsule, ovoid, up to 5cm.

Key features:-

1) Flowers ± tessellated.

2) Pollen green.

3) Leaves up to 35 cm x 140 mm, strongly plicate, ovate to elliptic-ovate.

Habitat:- Grassy slopes, olive groves in middle and lower montane zone.

Distribution:- Endemic Crete, E. Aegean & SW. Turkey. Limited distribution on

Crete, not common.

Flowering time:- Sept-Nov.

Photos by:- Steve Lenton

Status:-

Protection status (for threatened species): Greek Presidential Decree 67/1981