Hi there: Wondered if someone could possibly identify this little beauty for me. I was thinking Tulipa however this is for a friend and hers is just blooming now whereas I am in the same plant zone and mine bloomed months ago?? Thanks to a great bunch here I use this site constantly. Regards Deb
There are autumn-flowering Crocus, but this is not one of them. Note that Colchicum (what your plant is) is very toxic if eaten.
Hi Michael: Thanks so much for your input. Now I am truly confused is Colchicum not commonly referred to as Autumn crocus??? Help hehe Regards Deb
This site lists lots of common names for this plant: http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=516 But preferences may change from place to place.
I fully agree with Michael F that avoiding on this forum using common names causing confusion is a good idea. Deborah's response "Thanks so much did not realize there was an Autumn version of a crocus" very well illustrates Michael's point. As for Colchicum I prefer calling them "naked ladies". In my opinion this common name is somewhat less confusing, and well illustrates the nakedness of the flowers, not "dressed" in leaves. The leaves, Deborah, will show in spring, persist through the summer and die down before flowering.
Sundrop: Great response to the common "Naked Ladies" Word association works best for me and I thought my friend somehow had missed taking pic with the foliage. Glad this was explained. Once again great job ladies and gents Regards Deb
Naked ladies is used for other autumn flowering bulbs also, meadow saffron is probably more specific to Colchicum. But autumn crocus has been prevalent in the past - if you start trying to give common names the same level of precision as botanical ones the path leads inevitably to just using those when you want the same outcome.
Sorry to pool this on, but in my opinion, giving a common name or several of them may help some people. In my practice, I frequently answer people walking by my front yard, what kind of flower I planted that is currently in full might. If I tell them a scientific name, I see a blank face. When I say also a common name, it clicks, and they associate the new name with something they already know. What happens when you just say "Colchicum autumnale"? People go to Google with this abracadabra and first thing they see is "autumn crocus"! And there, in the internet ocean, there is no-one to explain that this is not a true crocus. Here, we can. Just a thought...
Hi Andrey: I have to admit kind of a common name person myself. I find as you mentioned more people are aware of a common name not to mention I can hardly pronounce most of the botanical names hehe All the best Deb
Hi Andrey, In my post I am not talking about not using common names at all, I am talking about avoiding using those common names that are confusing. For example, in your first answer you could say "Naked ladies (Colchicum autumnale)", instead of "Autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale)". Please note, I am saying you could, I am not saying you had to. I believe "Naked ladies" is somewhat less confusing and is conveying well the character of the plant when in bloom. In my opinion not many people would say "oh, i didn't know these aren't flowers, these are naked women", but very many would say, or think, "I didn't know it is a crocus", while the plant is not a crocus at all. Missing one or a few words in what is being said can make all the difference in the world.
