Colchicum autumnale 'Pleniflorum' (d)
meadow saffron 'Pleniflorum'
A robust, free-flowering cormous perennial 15cm high with strap-shaped leaves, to 35cm long, from winter to spring, and 1-6 neat, rounded double flowers, 4-6cm long, with narrow, pinkish-lilac tepals to 7cm long and golden anthers, in autumn; colchicums are a useful late-season source of pollen for honeybees
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Size
Ultimate height
0.1–0.5 metresTime to ultimate height
2–5 yearsUltimate spread
0–0.1 metreGrowing conditions
Moisture
Moist but well–drained, Well–drainedpH
Acid, Alkaline, NeutralColour & scent
| Stem | Flower | Foliage | Fruit | |
| Spring | Green | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer | ||||
| Autumn | Pink Purple | |||
| Winter | Green |
Position
- Full sun
Aspect
East–facing or South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Exposed or Sheltered Hardiness
H5Botanical details
- Family
- Colchicaceae
- Native to GB / Ireland
- No
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Habit
- Clump forming
- Potentially harmful
- TOXIC if eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handlingif eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling TOXIC to pets - see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants for further information and useful contact numbers
- Genus
Colchicum are cormous perennials with usually coarse, broadly strap-shaped leaves which appear with or after the goblet-shaped flowers
- Name status
Unresolved
How to grow
Cultivation
Using gloves to handle corms, plant 10cm deep in summer or early autumn in deep, fertile and well-drained but moisture-retentive soil in an open site in full sun; for more advice, see bulb cultivation
Propagation
Propagate by removing cormlets when dormant in summer; for more advice, see bulb propagation
Suggested planting locations and garden types
- Cottage and informal garden
- Gravel garden
- Rock garden
- Wildlife gardens
- Flower borders and beds
- Underplanting of roses and shrubs
Pruning
No pruning required
Pests
May be susceptible to slugs
Diseases
May be susceptible to grey moulds (Botrytis), smuts, and tulip grey bulb rot
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