Contents
- What does a crocus look like
- The difference between colchicum and crocus
- When colchicum blooms in autumn
- How colchicum breeds
- Species and varieties
- Planting and caring for colchicum flowers in the open field
- Diseases and pests
- Healing properties of colchicum and contraindications
- What plants are combined with
- Conclusion
Colchicum flower is a beautiful and rather unpretentious plant that can decorate the garden in late autumn just before the onset of winter. Breeding it is not difficult if you know the basic rules.
What does a crocus look like
Colchicum is a perennial plant from the Colchicum family. It has short stems, 3-4 large elongated green leaves rise from the underground bulb in spring. The plates of the plant are erect, and due to them it can rise 40 cm above the ground. Other names for colchicum are autumn (Colchicum) or colchicum.
Some types of plants release leaves and buds at the same time in early spring, immediately after the snow melts. Others at the beginning of the growing season bring only greens, which fade with the onset of summer, and colchicum blooms from August.
In both cases, 3-4 stems up to 30 cm in height grow from the bulbous part of the autumn plant. Each of them is decorated with a funnel-shaped bud with double or simple petals. The flowers are most often purple or brownish, but yellow, pink or white colchicum are also found. The decorative period of the plant lasts up to three weeks.
During flowering, perennial autumn leaves emit a delicate pleasant aroma.
Autumn is distributed throughout the world. You can meet him in the Mediterranean and Asian countries, in Africa. In Our Country, it grows naturally in the southern regions – in the Krasnodar Territory and the Caucasus.
The difference between colchicum and crocus
According to the photo and description of the colchicum flower, it is noticeable that outwardly it is very similar to a crocus. But plants have differences in structure and features:
- The bud of regrowth in crocuses is located at the top of the corm, and in autumn plants – at the base.
- The crocus flower has three stamens and one pistil. Colchicum has six stamens and three pistils.
- Autumn is able to bloom within a couple of weeks after planting, while crocus enters the decorative phase only after a month and, moreover, rarely blooms in autumn.
An important difference is that Colchicum is a poisonous flower containing the dangerous alkaloid colchicine. Harmless crocus, meanwhile, serves as a raw material for the production of saffron spice.
In color, many types of crocus are much brighter than autumn
When colchicum blooms in autumn
Some colchicum bloom in the spring, for other species it is the autumn flowering that is characteristic. It starts at the end of September and lasts about a month until the end of October.
How colchicum breeds
Colchicum garden flower can be propagated in two ways – bulbs and seeds. The first method is mainly used, since it is simpler and accessible even to beginners.
Reproduction by bulbs
Adult healthy crocuses produce miniature daughter bulbs that grow from the main tuber in the underground part. You can find out about their presence by the appearance of a large number of stems and leaves above the ground during the autumn vegetation.
They select “kids” in the summer, after the colchicum finally fades. The tubers of the plant are dug up at the end of July, trying not to damage the roots, and the small bulbs are carefully separated from the main part. For a month or two, autumn planting material is kept in a cool place to strengthen its endurance, and then planted in the ground.
Reproduction by seeds
Colchicum seed propagation is a rather long and laborious task. Planting material is collected from adult plants in June. Autumn boxes are cut off even before they darken and open, dried in the shade, and when brittleness is reached, the seeds are removed.
To increase the endurance of future plants, planting material must be kept in a cold place in a moistened substrate for at least a month. After that, autumn seeds can be sown in boxes and germinated at home or buried immediately in the ground in August. It should be borne in mind that the colchicum grows very slowly. The first greenery may appear only in the autumn of the next season. The full development of the seeds will take about five years. Only after such a period has elapsed will the colchicum be able to produce mature flower stalks with beautiful buds.
Species and varieties
Decorative autumn tree is represented by a wide variety of species. There are several of the most popular varieties of colchicum with photos and names.
Yellow (Colchicum luteum)
Yellow Colchicum occurs naturally in the rocky glacial regions of Tibet, the Himalayas and the Tien Shan. It does not exceed 15 cm in height. The flat dark green leaves of the plant appear simultaneously with miniature bright yellow flowers immediately after the snow melts.
Yellow Colchicum has been artificially cultivated since 1882
Hungarian (Colchicum hungaricum)
The species is found in Greece, Albania and Hungary, enters the decorative period at non-standard dates for colchicum – in early spring or at the end of winter. Produces white or purplish-pink buds with maroon anthers, leaf blades densely covered with hairs at the top.
Hungarian colchicum blooms simultaneously with the appearance of leaves
Анкарский (Colchicum ancyrense)
Ankara colchicum is one of the earliest and can bloom from the end of December to April. Under natural conditions, it grows in the Crimea and in the south-west of Ukraine, in Moldova and Turkey. Brings pink-purple buds, narrow grooved leaves of Colchicum have a bluish tinge.
Ankara colchicum bloom lasts about two weeks
Regel (Colchicum regelii)
Colchicum Regel is common in alpine and subalpine regions at an altitude of 2000 m above sea level. Brings several grooved blunt-ended leaf blades with a smooth or finely serrated edge, gives white buds. On the wrong side of the lobes of the flowers, purple stripes can be seen.
Flowering of Colchicum Regel begins immediately after the snow melts
Осенний (Colchicum autumnale)
One of the most popular species rises up to 40 cm above the ground, is common in Europe and is actively cultivated in Our Country. In spring, colchicum produces erect, oblong leaves that fade by the beginning of summer. Autumn brings buds from mid-September, they are light or pale lilac in shade, often with a lush structure. White terry colchicum is of the greatest decorative value.
In diameter, the flowers of the autumn colchicum reach 7 cm.
Великолепный (Colchicum speciosum)
The magnificent pink colchicum can be seen in the wild in Iran, Transcaucasia and Turkey. It can rise up to 50 cm in height, has long leaves with a wavy edge. It blooms in September, the buds of the plant are lilac or pale pink. The length of the autumn leaf plates reaches 30 cm.
In the middle of the flower near the magnificent autumn plant there is a white bell
Bornmuellera (Colchicum bornmuelleri)
Colchicum Bornmuller grows in the mountains of Asia Minor. It has long leaves up to 35 cm, the buds of the species are pale purple. Autumn is able to maintain decorativeness from September until the very frost.
Colchicum Bornmüller prefers well-lit areas
Byzantine (Colchicum buzatine)
Byzantine colchicum is widely distributed in the Mediterranean and Southern Europe. In the spring it produces long lanceolate leaves up to 30 cm, and at the end of August it brings purple buds. Autumn retains its attractiveness until cold weather.
One Byzantine autumn plant is capable of producing more than 12 buds
Planting and caring for colchicum flowers in the open field
Autumn trees are quite easy to grow, but require some rules to be followed. First of all, you need to know the preferences of the plant and the optimal time for planting.
When to plant colchicum bulbs
For species with autumn flowering, colchicum planting is practiced in August no later than the middle of the month. If the perennial corm is large and healthy, then the buds can be expected already in the current season.
Site and soil requirements
Best of all, the autumn plant feels in well-lit or slightly shaded areas. The plant needs moisture, but on swampy soil, its roots can rot. Therefore, the soil is required well-drained and without groundwater close to the surface. Colchicum develops on alkaline and acidic soils, loves loam.
How to plant colchicum
Immediately before planting the bulbs, it is necessary to dig up the site and, if necessary, improve the soil, add 0,5 buckets of sand and a bucket of humus per square meter to it. Holes should also be prepared, about 8 cm deep for small tubers and 20 cm for large ones. Wood ash and superphosphate are first added to the pits and mixed with soil.
The autumn planting material is lowered into the holes, leaving scaly tubes above the ground, from which flower stalks will subsequently appear. The soil around the colchicum is slightly compacted and the plant is immediately watered by irrigation.
Aftercare
Plant care comes down mainly to timely watering and top dressing. It is necessary to moisten the colchicum during the flowering period, subject to dry weather. The rest of the time there will be enough natural precipitation for autumn.
Top dressing of colchicum is carried out three times per season, with the growth of leaves, before flowering and during the period of maximum decorativeness. Complex minerals are used in the amount of 30 g per square meter of soil.
It is recommended to apply mineral fertilizers for the autumn garden along with watering.
So that weeds do not appear near the plant, from time to time the soil needs to be loosened. Do this carefully, trying not to damage the bulbs located near the surface of the earth. You can also mulch the colchicum, a layer of peat or fallen leaves will slow down the evaporation of moisture and prevent the growth of weeds.
When to dig up colchicum
It is not customary to dig an autumn plant for the winter. It tolerates a cold period in the ground well. As for transplanting to a new place and dividing an adult plant, these procedures are carried out at the end of summer in August. But in both cases, it is recommended to dig the bulbs in advance, at the end of June, when the leaves of the colchicum turn yellow.
When to plant colchicum
If the autumn tree has grown strongly, it can be planted in several new places on the site. The bulbs of the plant are dug out of the ground at standard times, in late June or early July. The tubers are washed, dead roots are cut off, and the scales are left in place.
For half an hour, the planting material is soaked in a pink solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection, after which it is removed to dry in a warm place with a low level of humidity. Then the autumn bulbs must be put in a cool cellar before being transferred to a new site.
When to transplant Colchicums that bloom in autumn
Colchicum flower transplantation during care is recommended to be done every three years so that it does not grow too much, otherwise the buds will begin to shrink. Autumn bulbs are dug up in the middle of summer or a little earlier, at the time of yellowing of the leaves, after which they are washed, disinfected and stored until August in a dark place.
Thoroughly dried bulbs are kept until planting at a temperature of about 24 ° C
Shortly before the onset of autumn, the perennial is transplanted to a new place. If the bulbs are healthy and strong, then the buds will appear in a few weeks.
Diseases and pests
With proper cultivation and care, colchicum relatively rarely suffers from diseases. The biggest danger for him is gray rot. With this fungal disease, a light fluffy coating appears on the leaves of the plant and on the stems, resembling mold.
Gray rot develops due to waterlogging of the soil
In the early stages, autumn gray rot can be fought. Colchicum is treated with Topaz, Champion or Kuproksat fungicides, and the irrigation schedule is also being reviewed. All affected parts must be removed and burned. If the autumn plant is too severely affected, and the underground bulb has suffered from rot, the specimen can only be destroyed so as not to infect neighboring plants.
Of the pests for colchicum, snails and slugs are the most dangerous. Gastropods often appear on the broad leaves of the plant when grown in the shade. If left untreated, they can completely devour the autumn plant at the beginning of summer and disrupt its growing cycle.
Slugs and snails are dangerous for the autumn plant in cloudy and rainy summers.
The fight against gastropods is, first of all, in preventive measures. It is advisable to mulch the soil around the plant with eggshells, fine gravel, or at least straw. It is difficult for snails and slugs to move on rough and sharp surfaces. From the leaves of the plant, pests can be collected manually or copper preparations can be used for spraying.
Healing properties of colchicum and contraindications
Colchicum is a poisonous plant because its tubers contain colchicine and colchamine. Despite this, the perennial is often used in traditional medicine. For medicinal purposes, autumn is used:
- for the treatment and prevention of arthritis, rheumatism and gout;
- at the phlebitis vein;
- with inflammation of a dental nature;
- with bacterial processes in the throat;
- with excessive deposition of calcium salts in the joints;
- with oncology of the stomach and skin cancer;
- with hypertension;
- with edema;
- for healing skin lesions;
- with constipation.
On the basis of colchicum in medicine, decoctions, infusions and ointments are prepared for external use. When using such products, it is necessary to carefully observe the dosages indicated in the recipes.
The garden autumn garden has a number of strict contraindications. It is necessary to completely abandon its use:
- with renal and hepatic insufficiency;
- with diseases of the bone marrow;
- with purulent inflammation;
- with a tendency to diarrhea;
- with frequent urination;
- with neutropenia;
- with any internal bleeding;
- with hypotension;
- with stomach ulcers and pancreatitis.
It is forbidden to use medicines of any type based on a plant during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Autumn is not offered to children and adolescents; allergies are also a strict contraindication for it.
Colchicum remedy for gout
Ointment from the autumn plant has pronounced anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. It is used for gout, rheumatism, arthritis and other joint diseases. Prepare the drug as follows:
- dry or fresh onions are crushed in a volume of 300 g;
- pour raw materials with 500 ml of water;
- simmer for half an hour in a water bath over low heat;
- filter the finished product.
A decoction of autumn must be mixed with petroleum jelly or butter to obtain a viscous consistency. The agent is removed in the refrigerator for solidification, and then the sore joints are treated up to three times a day.
A good effect is also given by rubbing with colchicum tincture. They do it like this:
- 100 g of dry roots are crushed;
- mixed with 1,2 liters of vinegar 9%;
- in a dark place insist under the lid for two weeks;
- passed through cheesecloth for filtration.
The agent is applied externally to the affected areas to relieve pain and improve mobility.
What plants are combined with
You can plant an autumn plant in a summer cottage along with other perennials in flower beds and in artistic compositions. The best neighbors for the shadow colchicum will be:
- thuja and junipers;
- cypresses and boxwood;
- sedge;
- creeping tenacious;
- variegated periwinkle;
- peonies;
- hosts;
- the bean.
Autumn looks organically in low compositions among stones
Conclusion
Colchicum flower can decorate the site after all the other perennials wither and prepare for winter. Growing it in the country is quite simple, the requirements for the care of the plant are moderate. Autumn has many useful properties and is used for medicinal purposes.
