Bulbs, Perennials > Colchicum > Colchicum autumnale > Colchicum autumnale
Colchicum autumnale
Autumn Crocus, Meadow Saffron, Naked Lady
Origin: West and Central Europe.
| Family |
| Colchicaceae |
| Genus |
| Colchicum |
| Species |
| autumnale |
| Category |
| Bulbs, Perennials |
| Synonyms |
| Colchicum autumnale var. minor hort. |
| USDA Hardiness Zone |
| 4 - 8 |
| Canadian Hardiness Zone |
| 2 - 8 |
| RHS Hardiness Zone |
| H5 |
| Temperature (°C) |
| -15 - (-10) |
| Temperature (°F) |
| 5 - 14 |
| Height |
| 10 - 20 cm |
| Spread |
| 10 - 20 cm |
Photographs
Cultivars
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Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| Landscape |
| Ground cover and border planting. |
| Cultivation |
| Full sun and partial-shade. Moist, well-drained and rich soils. Prefers chalk, clay, sand and loam soils with an acidic, alkaline or neutral pH. Intolerant of water-logging. |
| Shape |
| Columnar and upright. |
| Growth |
| Fast |
| Pests |
| Slugs and snails. Fugal smut may attack leaves. |
| Habitat |
| Meadows and woodland beds. |
| Leaf Description |
| 5 - 8 lanceolate leaves that are 10 - 20 cm long. Naked flower stems (1 - 6 stems per sheath) that rise from the ground and are 15 - 25 cm long. |
| Flower Description |
| Coarse, broadly star-shaped, 6-petaled flower on each stem. |
| Colour Description |
| Leaves are a dark green and turns yellow as it matures and dies. The flowers are pinkish-lavendar to a pinkish-lilac colour. |
| Notable Specimens |
| The A.M. Cuddy Gardens, Strathroy, Ontario, Canada. |
| Propagation |
| Seed, sowing in containers in open frame when ripe and separate corms when dormant in summer. |
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