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Colchicum cheerful or bright – bulbous perennial. Its life cycle is different from other horticultural crops. Colchicum blooms in autumn, when many plants are already actively preparing for winter sleep. Therefore, its opening buds look exquisite against the backdrop of dull autumn weather, which pleases the eye. Another name for the plant is colchicum, autumn.
Colchicum flowers resemble crocuses but appear in autumn
Description of the colchicum cheerful
This culture belongs to the Colchicum family. The aerial part is renewed annually in spring and consists of succulent grassy leaves. The height of this bulbous perennial varies between 5-25 cm.
Colchicum forms 4 reed leaves, the lower of which is the widest with a blunt end, and the upper ones are pointed. The hue of the plates is bright green. The leaves form a basal rosette. Although this perennial blooms only in autumn, the growing season begins in early spring. It is during this period that the first leaves break through from the ground, the length of which reaches 20-30 cm.
Later, a seed box breaks out from the center of the rosette, which is a continuation of the previous autumn flowering. It gradually grows and becomes mature by the end of May. Inside are red-brown seeds, which are subsequently carried by the wind. After their maturation, the aerial part of the cheerful colchicum gradually dries out. At the same time, it is impossible to cut the leaves before they completely wither, since it is they who feed the bulb. In early June, the first dormant period begins.
And only with the advent of autumn, the life cycle of this bulbous perennial resumes. At this time, the cheerful colchicum blooms. This period lasts about 3 weeks. The plant forms bare erect flower stalks. Their height reaches 20-25 cm. At the same time, the most part is the goblet-shaped corolla itself.
The flowers of the cheerful colchicum (photo below) are simple, consisting of lanceolate oblong petals 4 cm long, exude a pleasant aroma. Their color is pinkish purple. When the glass is fully opened in the center, you can see stamens up to 2 cm long with yellowish anthers. The columns are thin, filiform, erect. From above, they are slightly thickened, and much longer than the stamens.
The plant forms from 1 to 3 flowers per season
The underground part is presented in the form of an oblong bulb of a large size, from 3 to 5 cm long and about 3 cm in diameter. Its shade is cream, but dark brown scales cover it from above. The bulb contains a store of nutrients.
Colchicum cheerful has an average level of frost resistance, despite the fact that the homeland is the Mediterranean. The plant can withstand temperatures down to -17 degrees. But when growing perennials in the northern regions, additional shelter is needed for the winter so that the bulbs do not freeze out.
This crop is undemanding to the care and composition of the soil. Colchicum cheerful can grow and fully bloom in any soil, regardless of the level of acidity. For him, it is only necessary that the soil has good moisture and air permeability.
Where does the flower grow
In the natural environment, this culture can be found in the Mediterranean, North Africa and Southeast Asia. In Our Country, the bulbous perennial grows in the Eurasian part and the Caucasus. And also cases of a successful find in the Kuban region were registered.
Colchicum cheerful prefers to grow in forest glades and forest edges under the canopy of shrubs, where the sun’s rays reach and there is no stagnant moisture. And also in the meadows and steppes of the lower and middle mountain belt. Colchicum cheerful is listed in the Red Book, as the thoughtless picking of its flowers for bouquets leads to exhaustion and further death of the bulbs. Therefore, the number of this plant is sharply reduced.
Planting and caring for flowers
It is necessary to plant a cheerful colchicum in open ground in August. During this period, the bulb has already managed to make a supply of nutrients, but is still at rest. The site for the plant should be chosen in partial shade, where water does not stagnate. 2 weeks before planting, you need to dig it up and add humus, sand at the rate of 1 bucket for each square. m. You should also carefully remove all the roots of perennial weeds and level the surface.
Landing algorithm:
- Make holes 12 cm deep at a distance of 30 cm from each other.
- Pour into them 20 g of superphosphate, 10 g of potassium sulfate and 100 g of wood ash.
- Mix everything thoroughly with the ground.
- Put each bulb in a separate hole with the bottom down.
- Sprinkle with earth, compact the surface.
- Liberally pour.
You should not expect that after rooting the plant will begin to grow leaves, as they will appear only with the advent of spring.
This culture does not require special care. During the growing season in spring, watering the plant is not necessary, since the soil is quite wet after winter. At this time, you only need to weed the cheerful colchicum and loosen the soil near it in order to maintain air access to the bulbs.
You should also carry out the first feeding during this period. To do this, you can use nitroammophoska at the rate of 30 g per 10 liters of water. Colchicum cheerful should be fertilized for the second and third time during the formation of buds and after flowering. During this period, apply superphosphate (20 g) and potassium sulfate (10 g) to the same volume of liquid.
At the end of flowering and before winter, faded flower stalks should be cut off at the base. Then sprinkle the surface of the soil with sawdust or fallen leaves. In the northern regions, you need to additionally cover the top with spruce branches.
What plants are combined with
Colchicum cheerful plant is ideal for creating rockeries and alpine slides. This culture can be combined with ground cover white roses, the same shade of alissum. The beauty of this perennial can be successfully emphasized by boxwood and undersized juniper species planted in the background. This combination will add the missing green tint.
Colchicum cheery goes well with creeping cultures, such as tenacious, periwinkle, yaskolka, Goryanka.
Interesting facts about colchicum cheerful
This plant is distinguished not only by its beautiful flowers, but also by its unusual life cycle. There are also other interesting facts about this plant.
Colchicum jolly is similar in many ways to saffron, but they are not related crops. Although the flower can grow in mountainous areas and on rocky soil, it cannot be found in Scandinavia.
This culture accumulates colchicine in all parts, for which it received one of the names. This component is widely used in studies of polyploidy in plants.
If necessary, colchicum cheerful can be used for forcing by a certain date, if favorable conditions are provided in the greenhouse. It is better not to do this at home because of the toxicity of the plant.
Medicinal properties
Although colchicum contains dangerous substances, it is widely used in medicine. On this basis, drugs are prepared that help with asthma, leukemia, infectious nephritis, and even malignant tumors.
Healing qualities are more possessed by the bulbs and seeds of the plant.
This plant has an antioxidant, diuretic, laxative, antiemetic and analgesic effect.
Ointments and tinctures for external use are prepared on the basis of the cheerful colchicum. They help with diseases of the musculoskeletal system and swelling of the joints.
Conclusion
Colchicum cheerful – a beautiful plant that with its bright colors can dilute the gloom of autumn days. To save this culture for posterity, you do not need to dig up a plant in the forest. To do this, it is enough to purchase bulbs in any gardening store, which are specially grown for landscaping personal plots.
