Colchicum cupanii

Colchicum cupanii is a widespread species of flowering plant in the family Colchicaceae, known as the Mediterranean meadow saffron. It grows around much of the central Mediterranean Basin, reported from France, Sardinia, Italy, Albania, Greece, Montenegro, Croatia, Sicily, Algeria, Malta and Tunisia.[1]

Mediterranean meadow saffron
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Liliales
Family: Colchicaceae
Genus: Colchicum
Species:
C. cupanii
Binomial name
Colchicum cupanii
Synonyms[1]
  • Colchicum bertolonii var. angustifolium Tod.
  • Colchicum bertolonii var. cupanii (Guss.) Parl.
  • Colchicum montanum var. cupanii (Guss.) Fiori

Colchicum cupanii is quite variable. Some specimens have flowers that open completely to a star shape, while others remain cup-shaped. The pink to purple, untessellated flowers are small, up to 3 cm (1") in diameter, but are produced in abundance in the fall. The foliage is also produced in the fall.[2][3]

Subspecies

Two subspecies are recognized:[1]

  • Colchicum cupanii subsp. cupanii
  • Colchicum cupanii subsp. glossophyllum (Heldr.) Rouy - Greece, Albania, Montenegro

References
  1. Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Colchicum cupanii
  2. Autumn Bulbs by Roy Leeds (B.T. Batsford Ltd) 2006 ISBN 0-7134-8962-6
  3. Gussone, Giovanni. 1827. Florae Siculae Prodromus 1: 452, Colchicum cupani


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