Colchicum autumnale

{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}} {{speciesbox |image = Illustration_Colchicum_autumnale0.jpg |genus = Colchicum |species = autumnale |authority = L.<ref name=IPNI_533232-1>{{IPNI|taxon=''Colchicum autumnale'' |authority=L..|id=533232-1|access-date=2026-01-30|mode=cs1}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |contribution-url= https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/358360#page/353/mode/1up |contribution= Colchicum autumnale |last= Linnaeus |first= Carl |authorlink= Carl Linnaeus |title= Species Plantarum |year= 1753 |volume= 1 |page= 341 |via= biodiversitylibrary.org |access-date= }}</ref> |synonyms = {{Collapsible list |title = Synonyms list | *''Colchicum commune'' Neck. *''Bulbocodium antumnale'' (L.) Lapeyr. *''Colchicum vernale'' Hoffm. *''Colchicum vernum'' (Reichard) Georgi *''Colchicum polyanthon'' Ker Gawl. *''Colchicum praecox'' Spenn. *''Colchicum crociflorum'' Sims *''Colchicum orientale'' Friv. ex Kunth *''Colchicum autumnale'' var. ''viridiflorum'' Opiz *''Colchicum pannonicum'' Griseb. & Schenk *''Colchicum transsilvanicum'' Schur *''Colchicum turcicum'' subsp. ''pannonicum'' (Griseb. & Schenk) Nyman *''Colchicum bulgaricum'' Velen. *''Colchicum borisii'' Stef. *''Colchicum vranjanum'' Adamovic ex Stef. *''Colchicum doerfleri'' var. ''orientale'' Kitanov *''Colchicum drenowskii'' Degen & Rech.f. ex Kitan. *''Colchicum rhodopaeum'' Kov. }} |synonyms_ref = <ref name="Kew"/> }} '''''Colchicum autumnale''''', commonly known as '''autumn crocus''', '''meadow saffron''',<ref name=BSBI07>{{BSBI 2007 |access-date=2014-10-17}}</ref> '''naked boys'''<ref>{{cite web | url= https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/2000/7-28-2000/colchicums.html | title=Colchicums | first= Richard |last= Jauron| website= hortnews.extension.iastate.edu| publisher= Iowa State University Extension| date= July 28, 2000| access-date= 2026-01-28}}</ref> or '''naked ladies''',<ref>{{cite book |title= Flora of the British Isles |last1= Clapham |first1= A. R. |last2= Tutin |first2= T. G. |last3= Warburg |first3= E. F. |year= 1962 |edition= 2nd |page= 982}}</ref> is a toxic autumn-blooming flowering plant that resembles the true crocuses, but is a member of the plant family Colchicaceae, unlike the true crocuses, which belong to the family Iridaceae. It is called "naked boys/ladies" because the flowers emerge from the ground long before the leaves appear.<ref>{{cite journal |title= ''Colchicum autumnale'' |last= Gajic |journal= Glasnik prirodnaučkog museja u Beogradu, Serija B, Bioloake nauke Nauke [Bulletin of the Natural History Museum in Belgrade, Series B, Biological Sciences Sciences] |year= 1977 |volume= 32 |page= 8}}</ref> Despite the vernacular name of "meadow saffron", this plant is not the source of saffron, which is obtained from the saffron crocus, ''Crocus sativus'' – and that plant, too, is sometimes called "autumn crocus".

The species is cultivated as an ornamental in temperate areas, in spite of its toxicity. The cultivar 'Nancy Lindsay' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.<ref name = RHSPF>{{cite web | url= https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/116976/i-Colchicum-autumnale-i-Nancy-Lindsay/Details| title = RHS Plantfinder - Colchicum autumnale 'Nancy Lindsay'| accessdate=12 January 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf | title = AGM Plants - Ornamental| website= rhs.org.uk | date = July 2017 | page = 22 | publisher = Royal Horticultural Society | accessdate = 24 January 2018}}</ref>

==Description== This herbaceous perennial has leaves up to {{Convert|25|cm|in|abbr=on|sigfig=1}} long. The flowers are solitary, {{Convert|4|-|7|cm|in|abbr=on|sigfig=1}} across, with six tepals and six stamens with orange anthers and three white styles.<ref name="Blamey">{{cite book |last1= Blamey| first1=M. |last2=Fitter|first2=R.|last3=Fitter|first3=A|year=2003|title=Wild flowers of Britain and Ireland: The Complete Guide to the British and Irish Flora.|publisher=A & C Black| location=London|isbn=978-1408179505}}</ref>{{rp|324}} At the time of fertilisation, the ovary is below ground.<ref name="Webb">{{cite book |title= Webb's An Irish Flora |last1= Parnell |first1= J. |last2= Curtis |first2= T. |year= 2012 |publisher= Cork University Press |isbn= 978-185918-4783}}</ref>

==Distribution and habitat== ''C. autumnale'' is the only species of its family native to Great Britain and Ireland,<ref>Clive Stace, ''New Flora of the British Isles'' 3rd edition 1991, p 855</ref><ref name="Webb"/> with notable populations under the stewardship of the County Wildlife Trusts. It also occurs across mainland Europe from Portugal to Ukraine, and is reportedly naturalised in  Sweden, European Russia, and New Zealand.<ref name="Kew">{{cite web |url= http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=302771 |title= Colchicum autumnale |website= Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families |via= kew.org |access-date= }}</ref> It grows in lowland grassy meadows.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Colchicum autumnale |website= burkeherbarium.org |publisher= Burke Herbarium Image Collection |url= https://burkeherbarium.org/imagecollection/taxon.php?Taxon=Colchicum%20autumnale |access-date=2023-07-27}}</ref>

==Pharmaceutical uses== The bulb-like corms of ''C. autumnale'' contain colchicine, a useful drug with a narrow therapeutic index. Colchicine is approved in many countries for the treatment of gout and familial Mediterranean fever. Colchicine is also used in plant breeding to produce polyploid strains.{{Citation needed|date=July 2023}}

==Toxicity== ''Colchicum'' is lethally toxic due to its colchicine content. Its leaves have been mistaken by foragers for those of ''Allium ursinum'' (ramsons or wild garlic), which they vaguely resemble.<ref>{{cite news|title=Podlesek usoden za dve osebi|url=https://www.24ur.com/novice/crna-kronika/zaradi-strupenega-podleska-naj-bi-umrla-bolnica-se-ena-oseba-v-kriticnem-stanju.html|accessdate=April 6, 2018|work=24ur.com|date=April 6, 2018}}</ref><ref name=”Rousseau_2022”>{{cite journal | vauthors = Rousseau G, Clément J, Fezard JB, Laribi S| title = Intoxication au colchique par confusion avec l'ail des ours |trans-title= Colchicum poisoning by confusion with wild garlic (Allium ursinum) | journal = Rev Med Interne | volume = 43 | issue = 9 | pages = 559–561| date = 2022 | doi = 10.1016/j.revmed.2022.04.022|url= |language= French|pmid = 35597736| pmc= | doi-access = free}}</ref>

This plant (and colchicine itself) poses a particular threat to felines. The corms of meadow saffron contain the highest level of toxins, but all parts of the plant are regarded as poisonous.{{cn|date=April 2024}}

==Gallery== <gallery> File:Colchicum autumnale 050505.jpg|Seed capsules File:Semen Colchici by Danny S. - 001.JPG|Seeds File:Colchicum autumnale at the U.S. Botanic Gardens - Sarah Stierch.jpg|Detail of flower at the United States Botanic Gardens File:Colchiques dans les prés.jpg|In a meadow Lauterbourg, (Alsace), France File:Autumn crocus easyloc1.jpg|Group of autumn crocus on an alpine meadow (Laterns, Vorarlberg, Austria) File:Colchicum autumnale00.jpg|''Colchicum autumnale'' by Auguste Faguet File:Meadow saffron plate no 6 bv73c1191 bk128b698 crop.jpeg|From ''The Book of Health'', 1898, by Henry Munson Lyman </gallery>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Further reading== {{Commons}} *{{cite book |title= Autumn Bulbs |last= Leeds |first= Roy |year= 2006 |publisher= B.T. Batsford Ltd |isbn= 0-7134-8962-6}} *{{cite journal |first1=Miran |last1=Brvar |first2=Tom |last2=Ploj |first3=Gordana |last3=Kozelj |first4=Martin |last4=Mozina |first5=Marko |last5=Noc |first6=Matjaz |last6=Bunc |title=Case report: fatal poisoning with ''Colchicum autumnale'' |journal=Critical Care| display-authors= 3 |pmid=14975056 |pmc=420069 |year=2004 |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=R56–9 |doi=10.1186/cc2427 |doi-access=free }}

autumnale Category:Flora of Europe Category:Medicinal plants of Europe Category:Plants described in 1753 Category:Botanical taxa named by Carl Linnaeus