COLCHICUM PUSILLUM

Family and Genus:- See- COLCHICACEAE

Common Name:- None

Homotypic Synonyms:- None

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

Greek physician and botanist Dioscorides.

Pusillum (L) Weak, minute, very small, slender.

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 a long neck.

a) tunic, coriaceous to membranous, persistent.

Leaves:-

1) 3-6(-8), up to 1-3(-4) cm at 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).

2) Perianth-segments, 10-20 x 1·5-2(-3) mm, pinkish-lilac to white, linear-elliptical,

obtuse.

3) Filaments, up to 8 mm, glabrous or sometimes hairy at the base; anthers 1·5-3(-

4·5) mm, purplish-black to grey or pale brown, less often yellow; pollen yellow.

4) Styles, straight.

a) stigmas, punctiform.

5) Anthers, 1·5-3(-4·5) mm.

Fruit:-

1) 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 at anthesis.

4) Anthers, 1·5-3(-4·5) mm.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Soil pockets in rocky slopes with dry open shrubby vegetation, generally

over limestone. 0-1200 m.

Distribution:- S Aegean Is. Cyprus. Fairly widespread and common on Crete.

Flowering time:- Oct-Dec

Photos by:- Steve Lenton