8 Colchicine 



lationships between the Colchicuni group and other iauiihes of 

 plants.*! 



The genus Colchicum L. belongs to the tribe Colchiceae, which 

 also includes Merendera Ram., Bulbocodium L., and Synsiphoyi Regel. 

 This tribe is a part of the subfamily Melanthoideae. The family 

 Liliaceae shows many relationships to the species Colchictim; hence 

 their correct position is within the lily family. At one time the family 

 Colchicaceae was on the same level of importance that was given the 

 Liliaceae, but this became changed to the system listed above. 



An excellent monograph*^ dealing with Colchicum was published 

 by Stefanoff in 1926. Considerable revision has been made and ten 

 new species have been added. The text is in Bidgarian, but the de- 

 scriptions and keys are printed in Latin, thus making this information 

 available to specialists of any nationality. Useful distribution maps 

 are attached to the monograph. ^^ 



The genus is divided into two subgenera:*^ (1) Archicolchicum 

 including seven sections, and (2) Eucolchicum with a single section. 

 An Indian species, C. Jtiteum Baker, official in the Indian Pharmaco- 

 poeia belongs to the first subgenus, whereas the most notable drug 

 species, C. autumnale L. is placed in the subgenus Eucolchicum. All 

 species belonging to the latter subgenus flower in the autumn, while 

 the members of the first subgenus have many members that bloom in 

 the spring. 



A total of 64 species are described and extensively reviewed for 

 their geographical distribution. All belong to the Northern Hemis- 

 phere and are primarily indigenous to the Mediterranean region, 

 although many species range over Europe and North Africa and ex- 

 tend eastward into India along the northwestern Himalayan ranges. 



Thirty-six species flower in the months of September to November. 

 Except for several unknown, the remaining twenty-five species bloom 

 during the spring, early in January, or late in June. These character- 

 istics are noted in the list of species given in Table 1.1. 



Cytological investigations include eleven species for which exact 

 chromosomal determinations have been made.-"- ^'^ There is no evi- 

 dence that speciation has proceeded along a polyploidy series with 

 or without hybridization. In fact, the number for these at hand is 

 entirely heteroploid. No correlation exists between taxonomic posi- 

 tion and chromosome number. Certainly the diploid numbers rang- 

 ing from 36 to 54 are not exceptionally high. In light of the poly- 

 ploidizing effect of colchicine on many plant cells, the suggestion has 

 been made that perhaps within tliis group high numbers may be 

 found. Chapters 4 and 17 deal with this problem and show by re- 

 sistance to the drug how polyploidy could not be developed. Further- 

 more, there is no indication that other species of plants found in the 



