COLCHICUM 



COLCHICUM 



825 



they should be lifted and separated, just after the leaves 

 die, end of June or early July. This is the usual method 

 of propagation, but they can also be increased from 

 seeds, sown just after ripening, June to July; the seed- 

 lings may not appear until the following spring. Seed- 

 lings bloom when three to five years old. The bulbs 

 are obtainable from the Dutch growers at moderate 

 prices, and they must be imported early; otherwise 

 they are apt to bloom in the cases. C. autumnale, with 

 rosy purple flowers, is a well-known and the most 

 commonly cultivated species. There are numerous 

 varieties, of which the best are the white, the double 

 white and the double purple. Belonging to this same 

 group and not differing much except in size and sha- 

 ding of the flower, are C. byzantinum, C. montanum, and 

 C. umbrosum. C. speciosum, a native of the Caucasus, 

 is the finest in every way of the genus. The flowers are 

 much larger and of better shape, and the color, a rosy 

 pink, is much more delicate; the habit of growth is 

 robust, and the plant is most easily handled. C. 

 Parkinsonii is distinct from the above varieties inas- 

 much as the flowers are tessellated, purple and white, 

 giving a curious checker-board appearance which is 

 unique; the leaves are much smaller and are wavy. C. 

 agrippinum, C. Bivonx, C. cilicicum and C. Sibthorpii, 

 are other species having checkered flowers more or less 

 similar to C. Parkinsonii. C. Bulbocodium=Bulboco- 

 dium vernum. Monograph by J. G. Baker in Jour. 

 Linn. Soc., vol. 17 (1880). (B. M. Watson.) 



INDEX. 



A. Blooming in spring: Ivs. appearing with the fls. 



B. Color rosy lilac: size of anthers small. 



c. Anthers oblong, purple. 



1. montanum. Linn. (C. Bertolonii, Stev.). An im- 

 portant and variable species, with many synonyms and 

 variations. Baker makes 7 forms. Corm ovoid, ^7! in- 

 thick, the tunics brown, membrananceous, the inner 

 ones produced to a point 2-4 in. above the neck: Ivs. 

 2-3, rarely 4-6, linear or lanceolate, about 2-3 in. long 

 at the time of flowering, finally 6-9 in. long: fls. 1-4, in 

 spring and autumn. Oct.-June. Medit. region, from 

 Spain to Persia. B.M. 6443. It appears in early spring 

 with the snowdrops and crocuses. 



2. crociflorum, Regel, not Sims nor Schott & 

 Kotschy. Corm ovate-oblong: Ivs. all radical, sheathing 

 at the base, a few sometimes on the st., flat and linear, 

 margins minutely and usually distantly toothed : corolla 

 white, with violet-purple stripes, especially within, the 

 tube about 2 in. long, the limb scarcely 1-1^ in. long; 

 style exceeding the stamens. Feb., March. Cent. Asia. 



cc. Anthers linear, yellow. 



3. Stevenii, Kunth. Corm narrower than in No. 1, 

 about y<-Y in- thick: Ivs. at length 4-5 in. long: fls. 

 Oct.- Jan. Syria, Arabia, Persia. Less popular than 

 No. 1. 



BB. Color yellow: size of anthers large. 



4. luteum, Baker. This is the only yellow-fld. form 

 in the genus, all the others ranging from purple to 

 white. Although it belongs to the Medit. group, with 

 Ivs. and fls. produced at the same time and in spring, it 

 is a native of W. India at an elevation of 7,000-8,000 ft. 

 Corm tunics dark brown, sometimes almost black: Ivs. 

 3 or 4, wider and less tapering than in No. 1, at the 

 time of flowering 3-4 in. long, finally 6-7 in. long. B.M. 

 6153. Very desirable. 



AA. Blooming in autumn: Ivs. appearing after the fls. 

 B. Perianth tessellated or checkered. 



c. Tessellation distinct. 

 D. Lvs. spreading or prostrate. 



5. variegatum, Linn. Lvs. 2-3, lanceolate, about 6 in. 

 long, 12-15 lines wide, lying flat on the ground; margins 

 wavy: fls. 2-3 from each spathe, 4 in. across, rose-color 

 with a white tube. Isls. of the Levant and Asia Minor. 

 B.M. 1028. Variable. The plant known as C. chionense 

 is apparently a form of it. Corm size of walnut. 



6. Parkinsonii, Hook. f. (B.M. 6090) (C. tessellatum, 

 Authors), is the best of all the tessellated forms, the 

 tessellation being more sharply defined and more delicate 



than the type. 

 It is a smaller 

 plant, and has 

 shorter and 

 more strongly 

 undulated Ivs., 

 which lie closer 

 to the ground. 

 Of this plant 

 Parkinson said 

 in his "Paradi- 

 sus Terrestris," 

 1629: "This 

 most beautifull 

 saffron flower 

 riseth up with 

 his flowers in 

 the Autumne, as 

 the others before 

 specified doe, 

 although not of 

 so large a size, 

 yet farre more 

 pleasant and 

 delightf ull in 

 the thicke, deep 

 blew, or purple 



1026. Colchicum autumnale. ( X H) 



coloured beautifull spots therein, which make it excell 

 all others whatsoever: the leaves rise up in the 

 Spring, being smaller then the former, for the most 

 part 3 in number, and of a paler or fresher green 

 color, lying close upon the ground, broad at the bottome, 

 a little pointed at the end, and twining or folding 

 themselves in and out at the edges, as if they were 

 indented. I have not seen any seede it hath borne: 

 the root is like unto the others of this kinde, but small 

 and long, and not so great : it flowereth later for the most 

 part then any of the other, even not untill November, 

 and is very hard to be preserved with us, in that for the 

 most part the roote waxeth lesse and lesse every yeare, 

 our cold Country being so contrary unto his naturall, 

 that it will scarce shew his flower; yet when it flow- 

 ereth any thing early, that it may have any comfort of 

 a warm Sunne, it is the glory of all these kindes." 



DD. Lvs. ascending. 

 E. Margin of Ivs. wavy. 



7. agrippinum, Baker (C. tessellatum, Hort.). Corms 

 a trifle thicker than in No. 5: Ivs. 3-4, 6-9 in. long, 

 12-15 lines wide, margin wavy: fls. 2-4 from each 

 spathe. F.S. 11:1153. This is a marked form of C. 

 variegatum, of garden origin, which has similar fls., 

 but a more robust habit and more nearly erect Ivs. 



EE. Margin of Ivs. flat, not wavy. 



8. Bivdnae, Guss. Lvs. 6-9, nearly 1 ft. long, 9-15 

 lines wide, rather hooded at the apex, margin flat, not 

 wavy: fls. 1-6 from each spathe, rose-purple faintly 

 checkered with a darker color, 4-6 in. long. Medit. 

 region. Var. superbum, Hort., an excellent form, is 

 advertised in English catalogues. F.S.R. 1:108. 



