COLCIIICUM 



THE BULB liOOK 



COLCHICUM 



(See Gartcnjl. t. 755; Red. Lil. 

 t. 468.) 



C. Decalsnei. — A fine species from 

 Mount Lebanon, with a i)rofusion of 

 handsome pale rose blossoms in 

 September and October, sometimes 

 striped with white ; the lance-shaped 

 leaves appearing in spring like other 

 species. 



C. fascicularis.— A native of Greece, 

 remarkable for producing its leaves 

 and flowers at the same time, the 

 blossoms being pink and white in 

 colour. 



C. giganteum.—A fine species of the 

 speciosum group from the Zigana 

 Uagh, or Gipsy Mountain, bearing 

 very large and handsome blossoms 

 of a delicate soft rose shading to 

 white at the base {Flora and ,Sj/lm, 

 June 1905). 



C. Hausknechti.— A rare species, 

 with short leaves and pretty globular 

 flowers of a pink or bright rose 

 colour, sometimes striped with white. 



C hydrophyllum.— A native of the 

 Taurus ^Mountains, producing clear 

 bright rose flowers in early spring 

 ((r'ard Chron. 1!J()1, xxix. 102, f. 43). 



C. libanoticum. From the Lebanon 



Fio. 08. — Colchicum, libanoticum. 



Mountains ; resembles C. montanum, 

 but has broader and shorter leaves, 

 and flowers ranging from white to 

 pale rose during the winter sea.son. 



C. luteum. — A. rare species, with 

 large corms, from Kashmir and 



Afghanistan, at an elevation of 

 7000 ft., is remarkable for being the 

 only yellow-flowered species in culti- 

 vation. The blooms are 3 to 4 ins. 

 high, ajipcar in spring, and are 

 attended by two narrow strap-shaped 

 leaves. (Hot. Jfag. t. 6153.) 



C. montanum (('. hidbocodioides). — 

 A native of the Mediterranean region, 

 with short, narrow, lance-shaped or 

 linear sickle-like leaves appearing 

 almost with the lilac-purple or whitish 

 flowers in February and March. 

 This species must not be confounded 

 with another, sometimes called mon- 

 tanum but properly alpinvm, which 

 flowers in autumn. Closely related 

 to the true montanum is C. brachy- 

 phyllum. 



C. neapolitanum. — A variable 

 species, with rosy bright ])urple or 

 bright rose blossoms late in the 

 season. 



C. Parkinson!. — A strikingly dis- 

 tinct plant from Asia Minor and 

 the Greek Archipelago, having ovate, 

 lancc-shapcd, wavy leaves in spring, 

 and large white starry flowers in 

 autumn, che(|uered with violet-purjjle. 

 {Jiot. i]Ia<i. t. 6090). 



C. Sibthorpi (C latljolium). — A fine 

 form of the C. variegatum ty])e, native 

 of the Levant. The beautiful lilac 

 flowers, more or less clearly chetiuered 

 with deej) purjile, appear in Sep- 

 tember and October, standing erect 

 on stout tubes about 8 ins. high. 



C. Sieheanum— From Mersina ; re- 

 sembles C arenarium, but produces 

 its reddish-purple flowers and leaves 

 together about the end of November. 

 C. arenarium flowers in autumn, but 

 does not produce its leaves till 

 si)ring. (f/ard. 1903, Ixiv. 408.) 



C. speciosum. — A very distinct and 

 handsome Caucasian species remark- 

 able for its broad, elliptic, .sheathing 

 leaves about a foot long and 2 to 4 

 ins. broad. These appear in spring. 



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