| Description | Fall-blooming Crocus (Colchicum autumnale) is a fall-blooming bulb with many misleading common names. It is not a Crocus and does not produce saffron. |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | (KOHL-chik-um)(aw-tum-NAH-lay) |
| Plant Type | Perennials Hardy, Bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizoms, etc. |
| Hardiness Zone | 5-9 |
| Sunlight | partial sun, needs shade from the hot sun |
| Moisture | average |
| Soil & Site | average |
| Flowers | In early fall, the corms produce a bouquet of light-pink to purple flowers. Each corm produces 1 to 10 flower stalks. The plant sits atop 4-6-inch-long naked stalks that bear a single 2-inch-wide goblet-shaped flower. The flowers emerge from the ground long after the leaves have died back, earning the common name 'naked ladies' or 'naked boys'. |
| Leaves | Produces green strap-like leaves in April to May. Starts to die back in June, flopping over the neighboring plants. Resist removing until totally dead. |
| Stems | The stems are subterranean structures called corms. |
| Dimensions | 6 inches tall |
| Maintenance | Plant the corms in late summer. Do not remove the deteriorating foliage until it is 75%-100% dead. |
| Propagation | corms, seeds |
| Native Site | Native to Europe and North Africa. Has naturalized in some parts of the US and Canada. |
| Misc Facts | Produces a toxic chemical, colchicine. The name may be derived from ancient authors' claims that this plant was abundant in Colchis, the Black Sea region of Georgia. Common names are misleading because it is not a Crocus and doesn't produce saffron. |
| Author's Notes | I have seen it best used planted among tough ground covers like Purple Leaf Winter Creeper, Ajuga, Pachysandra, and around the base of small shrubs. The ground covers will support the plant and cover the dying foliage. |
| Notes & Reference | #59-Naturalizing Bulbs (Rob Proctor), #60-The American Gardeners World of Bulbs (Judy Glattstein), #113-Bulbs for Gardens Habits (Judy Glattstein), #275-North Carolina Botanical Garden (ces.ncsu.edu/find_a_plant/) |
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