Colchicum speciosum

{{short description|Species of flowering plant}}

{{Speciesbox

| image = Colchicum speciosum Flowers BotGardBln0906.JPG

| genus = Colchicum

| species = speciosum

| authority = Steven

| synonyms_ref =

| synonyms = *Colchicum latifolium Griseb.

• Colchicum bornmuelleri Freyn
• Colchicum speciosum var. lenkoranicum Miscz.
• Colchicum giganteum S.Arn.
• Colchicum hyrcanicum Woronow
• Colchicum lenkoranicum (Miscz.) Grossh.

}}

Colchicum speciosum[http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=302843 World checklist of selected families] is a species of flowering plant in the family Colchicaceae, native to mountainous areas of northern Turkey, the Caucasus and northern Iran. Growing to {{convert|18|cm|0|abbr=on}} tall by {{convert|10|cm|0|abbr=on}} wide, it is an herbaceous perennial growing from corms. C. speciosum blooms in the fall, producing reddish/violet flowers on stems up to {{convert|30|cm}} tall without any leaves present. The strap-like leaves grow in the spring, then yellow, wither and die back as summer progresses. The flowers strongly resemble those of the crocus, the familiar spring-flowering bulb; hence the common name autumn crocus which is applied to this and other colchicum species. However the two genera belong to different families;{{cite book|title=RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants|year=2008|publisher=Dorling Kindersley|location=United Kingdom|isbn=978-1405332965|pages=1136}}Steven, Christian von. 1829. Nouveau Mémoires de la Société Impériale des Naturalistes de Moscou 7: 265, t. 15. and there is in fact an autumn-flowering crocus species, Crocus sativus, the source of the spice saffron. By contrast, all parts of Colchicum speciosum are toxic if ingested.{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/4232/Colchicum-speciosum/Details | title = Colchicum speciosum | publisher = RHS | access-date = 28 June 2021}}