''Colchicum cilicicum'', the Tenore autumn crocus, is a species of
flowering plant in the
Colchicaceae family.
A
bulb
In botany, a bulb is structurally a short stem with fleshy leaves or leaf basesBell, A.D. 1997. ''Plant form: an illustrated guide to flowering plant morphology''. Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K. that function as food storage organs duri ...
ous
perennial, it bears deep rose-lilac flowers in late summer, with barely any chequered pattern on the petals (
tessellation). It has a very noticeable white stripe down the centre of each petal, which gives it a star-like appearance at the base. The flowers tend to stand up to weather better than other colchicum blooms. The flowers appear before the strap-like leaves, giving this and other colchicum species the common name “naked lady”. Although colchicums are called “autumn crocuses” they belong to a different family than true crocuses. There are in fact autumn-flowering species of crocus such as ''
Crocus sativus'', which is the source of the spice saffron. ''Colchicum cilicicum'', by contrast, is toxic if eaten.
This species is native to
Turkey and
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
.
[Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, ''Colchicum cilicicum''](_blank)
/ref>
It is found in cultivation, and under its synonym ''C. tenorei'' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit
The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions.
History
The Award of Garden Merit ...
.
References
cilicicum
Garden plants
Plants described in 1882
Flora of Turkey
Flora of Syria
Taxa named by Pierre Edmond Boissier
Taxa named by Carl Lebrecht Udo Dammer
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