Colchicum 2013

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

  Yours is no exception.  ;D

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.

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.

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

Thanks for these links Mark. I should have used the 'Search' function before I asked the question,  :-[ :-[
Can we 'WOW' that message now? ;D 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. 8)
I hope that things are returning to normal, as best they can, following another serious weather event for you.

Longma wrote:

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.

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.! ;D ;D ). They both look very happy in your garden anyway,  8).

Longma wrote:

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.! ;D ;D ). They both look very happy in your garden anyway,  8).

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.

McDonough wrote:

Perhaps not an easy answer.

I couldn't agree with you more Mark.  ;D ;D

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."

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 :D

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

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"!!! :o )
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

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).

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

Good one Fermi. I think I need to expand my Colchicum palette to include more of the autumn ones. Does the spring/summer foliage on C. cilicicum get very leafy and large; the fact some do have large foliage influenced my selection, preferring the smaller Colchicum species.

Today (Easter Sunday) it was sunny and warm, and the bulbs are starting to pop into bloom, including Colchicum doerfleri (with either two forms, or perhaps two species, both sent to me a number of years ago as C. doerfleri).

And lest we forget about C. kesselringii, here are two more recent views, a full frontal shot :o on the left, where the purple stripes can't be seen as the flowers open widely, and on the right, the flowers closing down late this afternoon, still looking good.

Very nice Colchiums, Mark. I have tried quite a few but most types dislike my climate (or my growing regime) :-\

Looking very good there Mark. Much nicer to see them in the ground, than trapped in pots ( as mine are ! ). I have a whole new raised bed to plant up this year. Many more of mine are going out into the garden.

McDonough wrote:

Good one Fermi. I think I need to expand my Colchicum palette to include more of the autumn ones. Does the spring/summer foliage on C. cilicicum get very leafy and large; the fact some do have large foliage influenced my selection, preferring the smaller Colchicum species.

Hi Mark, the foliage isn't excessive but some of the smaller ones like C. corsicum have very tidy foliage and don't threaten anything with being over-shadowed or engulfed!
I do like that C. kesselringii - it's more difficult to source over here! I'll try again from seed.
cheers
fermi

Colchicum x agrippinum (fall blooming) is well behaved.

                        May 2012
         

                        Sept 2011
   

I like the twisty foliage on C. x agrippinum, and checkered flowers too, definitely one to try.

Janis Ruksans has a new web site, just gleaned this recent news from SRGC Forum.  Take a look at the catalog link starting with letter "A" to a portion of letter "C", scroll down to the Colchicum offerings, oh my, so many sweet little species, I lust for all of them.
http://rarebulbs.lv/index.php/en/catalogue

I was worry that most my my  many Colchicum x agrippinum died this summer from the many inches of extra rain we had spread through most of the summer.  I accidentally dug one up a month or so ago: though it was still alive, it was very very small. 

But beginning the end of August, we had 3 weeks with no rain at all, then heavy rains, and they all popped up.

The color is a little off in the pics.  Previously I was playing with the white balance on my camera, and neglected to return it to its prior setting.  Think of them as being viewed with light on a wet rainy day (which it wasn't) and color is more accurate.

Those are really beautiful! Love the checkering.