Family | Colchicaceae

GARDENING | PLANT ID

Colchicaceae is a family  of flowering  plants that includes 15 genera with a total of about 285 known species.

the genus COLCHICUM  

Colchicum autumnale, commonly known as autumn crocus, meadow saffron, or naked ladies, is a poisonous plant. The name "naked ladies" comes from the fact that the flowers emerge from the ground long before the leaves appear. 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".

AUTUMN CROCUS, MEADOW SAFFRON, naked lady flower on myrtle leaves 

COLCHICUM AUTUMNALE 

COLCHICACEAE FAMILY

a comparison of 2 autumn flowering, autumn CROCUSes from different families

Meadow saffron and saffron crocus are both autumn flowering crocus, but of differing families. We get the saffron used in cooking from the saffron crocus (crocus sativus) 
Note, the colchium has an irregularly shaped corm and the crocus used for saffron has a symmetrically shaped corm. Colchium is a perennial herb with leaves up to 25 cm (10 in) long. The flowers are solitary, 4–7 cm (2–3 in) across, with six tepals and six stamens with orange anthers and three white styles. Crocuses have 3 stamens and 3 styles.

SAFFRON CROCUS
CROCUS SATIVUS IRIDACEAE FAMILY
KOHLER'S MEDIZINAL PFLANZ 
FRANZ EUGEN KOHLER, 1897
(Source of saffron spice)

COLCHICUM AUTUMNALE 
OTTO WILHELM THOME 1885, 
GERA, GERMANY

FLORA VON DEUTSCHLAND, 
OSTERREICH UND DER SCHWEIZ
(Contains colchine, a drug)

the genus Baeometra                                        

Baeometra uniflora (Jacq.) G.J.Lewis 

[as Melanthium uniflorum Jacq.]

Plants Illustrated

N.J. von Jacquin, Icones plantarum rariorum, vol. 2: 

t. 450 (1786-1793)

Table 1: Genera of the Colchicaceae Family

Table 1: Genera 0f Colchicaceae Family
		TAXON				ORIGIN		HISTORIES, SYMBOLISM, PURPOSES
Order	Family	Common Name	Taxon Full Name	Intraspecific Epithet	Cultivar	Country of Origin	Cultivated Origin	Biblical, OED	Medicinal, pigments	landscape
Liliales	Colchicaceae		Androcymbium			Cape Province and Canary Island
Liliales	Colchicaceae	beetle lily	Baeometra			South Africa
Liliales	Colchicaceae		Burchardia			Australia
Liliales	Colchicaceae		Camptorrhiza			India and South Africa
Liliales	Colchicaceae	autumn crocus, meadow saffron and naked lady	Colchicum (including Bulbocodium, and Merendera)			Africa, Asia, Mediterranean			colchicine	ornamental
Liliales	Colchicaceae	fairy bells	Disporum			Asia
Liliales	Colchicaceae	flame lily, fire lily, gloriosa lily, glory lily, superb lily, climbing lily, and creeping lily	Gloriosa (including Littonia)			Africa, Asia			colchicine	ornamental
Liliales	Colchicaceae	Namib lily	Hexacyrtis			South Africa				ornamental
Liliales	Colchicaceae		Iphigenia
Liliales	Colchicaceae		Kuntheria			Australia
Liliales	Colchicaceae		Ornithoglossum			Africa				ornamental
Liliales	Colchicaceae	Christmas bells, golden lily of the valley, Chinese lantern lily and Chinese lantern bulb	Sandersonia			Africa
Liliales	Colchicaceae	lilac lily	Schelhammera			Australia
Liliales	Colchicaceae		Tripladenia			Australia
Liliales	Colchicaceae	bellworts, bellflowers or merrybells	Uvularia			North America
Liliales	Colchicaceae	perfoliate bellwort	Uvularia perfoliata			North America
Liliales	Colchicaceae		Wurmbea (including Neodregea and Onixotis)

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