Colchicum 2012

[Paul T]

Jan,

I've never seen Colchicum kesselringii colour forms like that.  WOW!!!!!!!  I have just purchased this species again, having lost it a few years ago.  Only a tiny bulb though, so it will still be a couple of years until flowering I think.  At least I have it again.  That dark striped one of yours is just amazing.  I didn't realise there were other colour forms at all until now.  Thanks so much for showing us. 

[Oakwood]

Some colchicum species flowering for now in SE Ukraine

Colchicum ancyrense, ex Crimea
Colchicum bifolium, ex Armenia
Colchicum bifolium Tivi, ex Armenia
Colchicum kesselringii My Choice, ex Tadzhikistan
Colchicum luteum Minion, ex Tadzhikistan
Colchicum luteum Vahsh, ex Tadzhikistan
Merendera mirzoevae, ex Armenia

[Oakwood]

more colchicums...

Colchicum munzurense, ex Turkey
Colchicum triphyllum, ex Moldova
Bulbocodium versicolor, big-flowered forms ex Ukraine-Moldova borders
Colchicum x albertii, ex Central Asia (natural hybrid of C. luteum x C. kesselringii)
Merendera trigyna, ex Caucasus

[Paul T]

Dimitri,

Great Colchicums.  I don't think I've seen half of those species before.  The bifolium looks like it has excellent width of petals and substance..... very nice.  I grow luteum and just recently purchase kesselringii again, but I've not seen the majority of the others you've shown.  I didn't realise there were so many spring flowering Colchicums.    Thanks so much for showing us.

[Oakwood]

With all my pleasure, Paul! 

[mark smyth]

very nice Dima!

Most of my winter flowering Colchicums died during December 2010

[Janis Ruksans]

Here still are blooming spring Colchicums
The first picture is of hybrid between C. keselringii x luteum, selected by Arnis and named 'Janis' at my 50th Anniversary
Follows two other siblings of it (I think they all were collected in Tadjikistan near Tovilj-Dara). They are known under name Colchicum albertii, too and Karin Person tends to regard them as species - result of past introgression from C. luteum into C. keselringii. So named "hybrid" is fertile and seedlings slightly varie from whitish yellow to light yellow but allways with yellow hint. They just this spring bloomed with me for the first time. By Karin Person artificial crosses between luteum and keselringii very rarely get some results. There are known only two reports about such cross. So I would tend to name this "hybrid" as C. albertii.
On next two pictures Colchicum keselringii - the first from Jan Jilek seeds as collected in Afganistan, on another mine own from Shing - N Tadjikistan. Both are very similar, but C. keselringii really is very variable.
And as last three are spring Colchicums from Turkey, just identified by Karin Person.
The first was collected at Gembos Yaila just on parcel where started building of new house - Cochicum szowitsii subsp. brachyphyllum - one of brightest and one of my favourites
Another is Colchicum serpentinum - another superb beauty. The pot was not replanted for 3 years, so very abbundant blooming.
The last is C. triphyllum - quite common species with large rounded flowers.
Janis

[ronm]

fascinating plants

Does the hybridising cross work both ways?

[ronm]

Between C. luteum and C. kesselringii?

[Janis Ruksans]

Between C. luteum and C. kesselringii?

I don't know. I cited Karin. I tried to cross them both ways but without success. C. albertii set seeds very well. Pollination were maid by bees, so I didn't know pollen parent. Both - keselringii and luteum set seeds, too but progeny allways looks as mother plant. All three species allways are placed side by side - so no problems for bees to crosspollinate them.
Janis

[Oakwood]

Dear Janis - very showy plants as usually!)) so your kess x lut hybrids are more like pure kess species plants, not like that I've got from Leonid - Yeti and Snow of Highland. Veru interesting plants of Cochicum szowitsii subsp. brachyphyllum!!!!! 

[ronm]

SRGC experts - Would someone who knows Colchicum please take a look at Jon Ballards posts on the AGS website,

http://www.alpinegardensociety.net/discussion/Colchicum/Colchicum+psaridis/11108/#lastcontribution

and advise if his plant is C. psaridis, ( C. zahnii, according to Kew ), or if not, what his plant is? Thank you in advance.

[Maggi Young]

I find colchicum confusing! I think psaridis/zahnii usually has two, or sometimes three leaves... Jon's  pix show four leaves.........



 This is a link to a large number of colchicum isotypes http://ww2.bgbm.org/herbarium/Access.cfm?CurrentPage=1&Col=4&IsoCode=GR&Fam=all&SubColl=all&Genus=Colchicum&FullNameCache=all

[pehe]

My first summer flowering Colchicum is as always Colchicum parnassicum

[pehe]

Colchicum montanum has started flowering in the garden

Poul