COLCHICUM CRETENSE

Family:- COLCHICACEAE

Common Name:- None

Synonyms:- None

Meaning:- Colchicum (Gr) After Colchis, a Black sea port. A Name used by the

Greek physician and botanist Dioscorides.

Cretense (L) From Crete, Cretan.

General description:- Bulbous plants with pink or white flowers, with or without

darker-coloured dots on the perianth segments.

Stock:-

1) Corm, up to 2 x 2 cm, subglobose to ovoid; tunic dark brown, membranous to

subcoriaceous, with long neck.

Leaves:-

1) 3-6(-8), up to 1-3(-4) cm after anthesis, up to 14 cm x 1-2(-5) mm at maturity,

filiform to narrowly linear, obtuse to acute, glabrous, margins

sometimes ciliate.

Flowers:-

1) 1-4(5); perianth-segments, 10-20 x 1·5-2(-3) mm, pinkish-lilac to white, linear-

2) Filaments, up to 8 mm, glabrous or pubescent at the base.

3) Anthers, 2.5-4.5 mm, purplish-black to grey or pale brown, less often yellow;

pollen yellow.

4) Styles, straight.

Fruit:- Capsule, c. 3 mm.

Key features:-

1) Tunic coriaceous to membranous, persistent.

2) Leaves 3-18, 1-4(-5) mm wide, narrowly linear, with ciliate or glabrous margins.

3) Leaves 3-6(-8), up to 1-3(-4) cm after anthesis.

4) Anthers 2.5-4.5 mm.

Habitat:- Rocky and stony slopes and screes, dolines, in short turf or on bare soil.

(900-) 1200-2000(-2300) m. on limestone.

Distribution:- Endemic to the Lefka Ori, Psiloritis and Dikti massifs.

Flowering time:- (Sept-)Oct-Nov, occasionally later.

Photos by:- Steve Lenton