Colchicum 2013

[Longma]

C. kesselringii

The first sunshine here for a couple of weeks has persuaded the first of many ( I hope!  ) flowers to open up on these tiny plants.

[RickR]

I have always thought that the striping on this species is particularly attractive.

  Yours is no exception. 

[McDonough]

Ron, one of the best and most delightful Colchicum species, I have two forms of this species growing outside planted on the warm south-facing sunny side of the house, typically flowering early March, among the very first flowers in the garden. Seems hard to believe these can be in bloom in just 1 month from now, we just had about 24" (60 cm) of snow.

[Longma]

That's very encouraging information Mark. I have only just built up enough stock of one clone to try it out in the garden this year. I hope you'll be able to post a pic or two when yours flower?
Do you ever get any seed from your two forms? For years I only had the one clone and was, despite careful paintbrush attention, unable to get any seed. Last year I managed to get a couple more different clones, so am hoping this will prove to be the key to getting seed this year. These newly acquired clones have yet to put in an appearance.

[McDonough]

Thus far I'm encouraged by this Colchicum's hardiness and weather resilience to late snow and ice.  Thus far, no seed has been produced.  I did however, finally get seed pods in 2012 on Colchicum doerfleri, after having a couple forms in the garden and flowering each of the last 5 years.  Here are some photos of both species I posted here in 2011 and 2012:

photo of C. kesselringii in the garden, April 2011:
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=204.msg7691#msg7691

(scroll down a few messages, I posted photo of C. doerfleri, another very small spring charmer), or see it here:
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=204.msg7889#msg7889

One week earlier in March 2011, the same two Colchicum (several posts):
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=204.msg7392#msg7392

and in March 2012 it flowered 3 weeks earlier than in 2011:
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=934.msg15723#msg15723

[Longma]

Thanks for these links Mark. I should have used the 'Search' function before I asked the question,  
Can we 'WOW' that message now? Noted your comment regarding the scent of the flowers. I was unaware of this in this species, but will be checking it out from now on.
I hope that things are returning to normal, as best they can, following another serious weather event for you.

[McDonough]

I hope that things are returning to normal, as best they can, following another serious weather event for you.

Driveway has been cleared, cars cleaned off, mailbox dug out, today it is cold and sunny without a cloud in the sky, everything back to normal.

By the way Ron, have you grown Colchicum doerfleri?  The small leaves can be covered with fine hair.  I was given some bulbs, they varied somewhat in flower color, size, and leaf pubescence, one has hairs along the leave margins, the other has leaves totally covered with fine hairs. The first shot of plants flowering in 2010 shows two forms. If I get seed this year, I will collect it for anyone interested.

Colchicum doerfleri, March 16, 2010 (very early flowering):


Colchicum doerfleri foliage, April 30, 2010.

[Longma]

 Good to hear that the storm has passed Mark, and that things can get back to 'normal'.

Have you considered the possibility that the plants with the hairs along the leaf margins are indeed C. doerfleri, whilst the ones with leaves totally covered with fine hairs could be a different species? ( possibly C. psaridis? -  http://photos.v-d-brink.eu/Flora-and-Fauna/Europe/Greece-Southern-Peloponnese/10896942_NFTzvV#!i=760897294&k=k6KgcdT )
I have grown plants like both previously, but have passed them on ( exchanged for some choice Fritillaria sp.! ). They both look very happy in your garden anyway,  .

[McDonough]

Have you considered the possibility that the plants with the hairs along the leaf margins are indeed C. doerfleri, whilst the ones with leaves totally covered with fine hairs could be a different species? ( possibly C. psaridis? -  http://photos.v-d-brink.eu/Flora-and-Fauna/Europe/Greece-Southern-Peloponnese/10896942_NFTzvV#!i=760897294&k=k6KgcdT )
I have grown plants like both previously, but have passed them on ( exchanged for some choice Fritillaria sp.! ). They both look very happy in your garden anyway,  .

Thanks for the suggestion, I have not heard of Colchicum psaridis, the photo of it in Marijn van den Brink's photo galleries does look just like it. Although I see that C. psaridis is now considered a synonym of C. zahnii.  In the following herbarium links, its not possible to detect pubescence as it doesn't really show up well in dried specimens, but the bulbs certainly look different. If I ever dig these up, I'll be sure to study the underground parts.

C. zahnii (syn. psaridis)
http://apps.kew.org/herbcat/getImage.do?imageBarcode=K000464102

C. doerfleri
http://ww2.bgbm.org/herbarium/view_biocase.cfm?SpecimenPK=18157

The plants in the garden flower at precisely the same time, I do wonder if the level of pubescence is variable. The seed pods looked the same too. I say this after our universal impression of Allium cristophii as having hairs mostly on the margins of the leaves, but there are forms that are heavily pubescent on the entire leaf surface, such as some from Iran.  Last, I'm also aware of the complexity of these spring blooming European and Mediterraneum Colchicum, particularly in the C. cupanii group. And, maybe the few bulbs sent to me, were indeed mixed. Perhaps not an easy answer.

[Longma]

Perhaps not an easy answer.

I couldn't agree with you more Mark.  

[Longma]

Regarding 'hairy leaved' Colchicum, this C. serpentinum certainly fits the bill, ( very obvious in third picture ),

http://www.vrvforum.be/forum/index.php?topic=991.msg35575#msg35575

Also, in his newly published 2013 catalogue, Janis Ruksans makes the following comment regarding C. hirsutum, -

"A dwarf colchicum which flowers in late winter or very early in spring with 2.5 cm long,nice mid-pink flowers with contrasting black anthers. Leaves more or less covered with silvery hairs."

[McDonough]

It's funny how one can be in blissful ignorance of a plant, and then once made aware of an unfamiliar plant, it crops up here, there, and everywhere. So, now that I'm tuned in on Colchicum psaridis, I keep running across the name

Was checking out SRGC Forum, and there in a topic on the Kackar Mountains of northeastern Turkey (bordering the Black Sea), Moderator Maggi posted a series of links.
http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=10111.msg267743;topicseen#new

One link in particular was to a SRGC Journal from 1995, and there Colchicum psaridis is discussed (page 257) and there is a good botanical painting (page 270).
http://files.srgc.net/journals/vol_1%20to_113/96.pdf

[Fermi]

Autumn here (officially!) and this Colchicum is doing its best to live up to its name (in Oz they tend to call Colchicums "autumn crocus"!!! )
I think I received it as C. atropurpureum but I think it's a form of C. cilicium - the flower gets darker as it ages.

cheers
fermi

[McDonough]

Fermi, I seemed to have missed you post, lovely Colchicum of deep color.  They call them "autumn crocus" here too.

At the start of March, Colchicum kesselringii was budded, but it was too cold for blooms to open. Then over the past two weeks we had just under 3' of snow (34" or 85 cm to be exact) in two major snowstorms. On the warm south side of house where these are planted, the snow has been melting quickly and receded enough today for flowers to open well.  Nearby a second grouping with much larger flowers has been squashed, the flowers ruined from the snow load, but I'm happy to see this little colony blooming well.




Snow on my deck from the snowstorm last week, the dining table becomes a snow donut, a good gauge of snow depth. Taken last Tuesday, March 19th, it continued to snow all day, totally 16" (40 cm).

[Fermi]

Nice to see your colony, Mark!
But that snow...Brrrrrrrr!
We've been waiting for the autumn break - thought it had arrived last weekend and today we were hit by 34^oC and fires breaking out all over the State!
Here's another autumn one - Colchicum cilicium
cheers
fermi