COLCHICUM 



THE BULB BOOK 



COLCHICUM 



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

 t. 468.) 



C. Decaisnei. A fine species from 

 Mount Lebanon, with a profusion 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 

 Dagh, or Gipsy Mountain, bearing 

 very large and handsome blossoms 

 of a delicate soft rose shading to 

 white at the base (Flora and Sylva, 

 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 hyclrophyllum. A native of the 

 Taurus Mountains, producing clear 

 bright rose flowers in early spring 

 (Gard Chron. 1901, xxix. 102, f. 43). 



C. libanoticum. From the Lebanon 



FIG. 98. Colchicum libanoticum. 



Mountains ; resembles C. montanum, 

 but has broader and shorter leaves, 

 and flowers ranging from white to 

 pale rose during the winter season. 



C. luteuin. A rare species, with 

 large corms, from Kashmir and 



146 



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, appear in spring, and are 

 attended by two narrow strap-shaped 

 leaves. (Bot. Mag. t. 6153.) 



C. montanum (C. bulbocodioides). 

 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 alpinum, which 

 flowers in autumn. Closely related 

 to the true montanum is C. brachy- 

 phyllum. 



C. neapolitanum. A variable 

 species, with rosy bright purple or 

 bright rose blossoms late in the 

 season. 



O. Parkinson!. A strikingly dis- 

 tinct plant from Asia Minor and 

 the Greek Archipelago, having ovate, 

 iance-shaped, wavy leaves in spring, 

 and large white starry flowers in 

 autumn, chequered with violet-purple. 

 (Bot. Mag. t. 6090). 



C. Sibthorpi (C. latifolium). A fine 

 form of the C. variegatum type, native 

 of the Levant. The beautiful lilac 

 flowers, more or less clearly chequered 

 with deep purple, appear in Sep- 

 tember and October, standing erect 

 on stout tubes about 8 ins. high. 



O. 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 

 spring. (Gard. 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, 



