Colchicum autumnale

Colchicum autumnale
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Liliales
Family:	Colchicaceae
Genus:	Colchicum
Species:	C. autumnale
Binomial name
Colchicum autumnale L. [1]
Synonyms [2]
Synonyms list Colchicum communeNeck. Bulbocodium antumnale(L.) Lapeyr. Colchicum vernaleHoffm. Colchicum vernum(Reichard) Georgi Colchicum polyanthonKer Gawl. Colchicum praecoxSpenn. Colchicum crociflorumSims Colchicum orientaleFriv. ex Kunth Colchicum autumnale var. viridiflorumOpiz Colchicum pannonicumGriseb. & Schenk Colchicum transsilvanicumSchur Colchicum turcicum subsp. pannonicum(Griseb. & Schenk) Nyman Colchicum bulgaricumVelen. Colchicum borisiiStef. Colchicum vranjanumAdamovic ex Stef. Colchicum doerfleri var. orientaleKitanov Colchicum drenowskiiDegen & Rech.f. ex Kitan. Colchicum rhodopaeumKov.

Colchicum autumnale, commonly known as autumn crocus, meadow saffron, ^[3] naked boys ^[4] or naked ladies, ^[5] 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. It is called "naked boys/ladies" because the flowers emerge from the ground long before the leaves appear. ^[6] 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. ^{[7] [8]}

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. ^{[9] : 324} At the time of fertilisation, the ovary is below ground. ^[10]

Distribution and habitat

C. autumnale is the only species of its family native to Great Britain and Ireland, ^{[11] [10]} 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] It grows in lowland grassy meadows. ^[12]

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. Colchicine is also used in plant breeding to produce polyploid strains.^{[ citation needed ]}

Toxicity

Colchicum is lethally toxic due to its colchicine content. Its leaves have been mistaken by foragers for those of Allium ursinum (ramsons or wild garlic), which they vaguely resemble. ^{[13] [14]}

This plant (and colchicine itself) poses a particular threat to felines. The corms of meadow saffron contain the highest level of toxins, but all parts of the plant are regarded as poisonous.^{[ citation needed ]}

Gallery

• 
  Seed capsules
• 
  Seeds
• 
  Detail of flower at the United States Botanic Gardens
• 
  In a meadow Lauterbourg, (Alsace), France
• 
  Colchicum autumnale by Auguste Faguet
• 
  From The Book of Health, 1898, by Henry Munson Lyman

References

1.  Linnaeus, Carl (1753). "Colchicum autumnale". Species Plantarum. 1: 341 – via biodiversitylibrary.org.
2.  "Colchicum autumnale". Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families– via kew.org.
3. BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
4. Jauron, Richard (July 28, 2000). "Colchicums". hortnews.extension.iastate.edu. Iowa State University Extension. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
5. Clapham, A. R.; Tutin, T. G.; Warburg, E. F. (1962). Flora of the British Isles (2nd ed.). p. 982.
6. Gajic (1977). "Colchicum autumnale". Glasnik prirodnaučkog museja u Beogradu, Serija B, Bioloake nauke Nauke [Bulletin of the Natural History Museum in Belgrade, Series B, Biological Sciences Sciences]. 32: 8.
7. "RHS Plantfinder - Colchicum autumnale 'Nancy Lindsay'" . Retrieved 12 January 2018.
8. "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). rhs.org.uk. Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 22. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
9. 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.
10. Parnell, J.; Curtis, T. (2012). Webb's An Irish Flora. Cork University Press. ISBN   978-185918-4783.
11. Clive Stace, New Flora of the British Isles 3rd edition 1991, p 855
12. "Colchicum autumnale". burkeherbarium.org. Burke Herbarium Image Collection. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
13. "Podlesek usoden za dve osebi". 24ur.com. April 6, 2018. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
14. Rousseau G, Clément J, Fezard JB, Laribi S (2022). "Intoxication au colchique par confusion avec l'ail des ours" [Colchicum poisoning by confusion with wild garlic (Allium ursinum)]. Rev Med Interne (in French). 43 (9): 559–561. doi: 10.1016/j.revmed.2022.04.022 . PMID   35597736.

Further reading

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