Colchicum autumnale Autumn Crocus, Meadow Saffron, PFAF Plant Database (2023)

FAQs

What is the difference between saffron crocus and Colchicum? ›

Flowers: The flowers of Colchicum are typically larger than those of Crocus and each corm produces 5 to 10 stalks each bearing a single flower. These showy blooms grab your attention from across the garden. Crocus blooms are daintier with fewer blooms per corm, but have lovely detail when viewed up close.

Nowadays, in addition to relieving inflammation in acute gout attacks, it is used to treat other inflammatory disorders including Behçet's syndrome and the hereditary fever syndrome familial Mediterranean fever.

Background. The common garden plant autumn crocus contains colchicine and its derivatives. Colchicine poisoning causes abdominal cramps and diarrhea within hours. Several days later, multiorgan failure, pancytopenia, and cardiovascular collapse occur.

Saffron is harvested from the saffron crocus, scientific name Crocus sativus. This is a different plant entirely from the autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale), also known somewhat confusingly as meadow saffron.

Saffron is often referred to as “red gold,” and for good reason—it's the world's most expensive spice, retailing for anywhere from $10 to $20 for a gram of the real stuff.

Super negin refers to the darker red portion of the negin and encompasses the sargol; it is the priciest and rarest type of saffron.

All parts of autumn crocus are highly toxic.

While no direct poisoning is expected from pure contact, wear gloves anyway to be on the safe side and avoid mouth contact.

It is poisonous, and can cause burning of the mouth and throat, vomiting, diarrhea, liver and kidney problems, blood disorders, nerve problems, shock, organ failure, and death. There have been reports of poisoning when autumn crocus was mistaken for onions, wild garlic, or wild leeks and eaten.

Both the corm and the seeds are analgesic, antirheumatic, cathartic and emetic[4, 7, 13, 21, 235]. They are used mainly in the treatment of gouty and rheumatic complaints, usually accompanied with an alkaline diuretic[4].

Rarest and New

biflorus, or Scotch crocus, has outer petals of light violet and silvery-white centers with a lilac blush. These diminutive sprites bloom early and naturalize well where happy.

What is the difference between colchicum and autumn crocus? ›

Autumn crocuses are sometimes confused with Colchicum autumnale. Colchicums are similar in overall appearance but have larger flowers and much larger clusters of leaves that appear in spring and dieback by late summer.

Colchicine is one of the oldest remedies still in use today. It is derived from the bulb-like corms of the Colchicum autumnale plant, also known as autumn crocus.

Saffron is prized for its golden yellow color, rich flavor and aroma. McCormick sources saffron from Spain for its superior quality – there are more than 250 hand-picked strands per bottle!

While the myths arouse discord, there's one item of consensus: Kashmiri saffron is the sweetest, most precious spice in the world. Its strands are thicker and more fragrant than its counterpart from Iran, which accounts for more than 90 percent of the world's saffron production.

The marigold aka the poor man's saffron. They can be used as a substitute for saffron due to its. hue and flavor. The flowers can be used as a garnish, but they are also great in salads as they have a citrus.

Each autumn, crocus flowers produce three stigma, that's right only three. This means it takes about 80,000 flowers to produce just one pound of saffron. A labor of love, all of these stigmas are picked, processed, and cleaned by hand.

The saffron must be harvested—by hand! —in the mid-morning, when the flowers are still closed in order to protect the delicate stigmas inside. It takes about 1,000 flowers to produce just one ounce of saffron.

Saffron does not expire, but it does have a shelf life. Like other spices, it loses its strong aroma and flavour as it ages and doesn't get preserved. This priceless spice gets harmed by direct light, oxygen, dampness, and heat. With only a little exposure, your Saffron will quickly lose its optimum freshness.

Appearance – Saffron threads are trumpet-shaped. If a thread does not bulge at one end, it's a fake. If you rub real saffron between your fingers, your skin will turn yellow/orange. Taste – While saffron smells sweet, it tastes slightly bitter, not sweet.

Do I leave crocus bulbs in the ground? ›

Do I need to dig up my bulbs or can I leave them in the ground? Spring-blooming bulbs that are winter hardy, such as tulips, daffodils and crocus, can be left right in the ground. Summer bulbs such as dahlias, tuberous begonias and calla lilies, will not survive cold winters.

The Key Differences Between Spring and Fall Crocuses

Spring crocuses bloomers typically thrive in zones three and higher. One of the key differences between the two, however, comes down to toxicity: Autumn-blooming crocus varieties are poisonous due to their corms, which produce a compound called colchicine.

Autumn crocus has the following characteristics: Grows in primarily in meadows, rarely in forests. Flowers: Crocus-like flowers, usually violet, bloom late summer to autumn. Odour: No smell of garlic, leaves have neutral smell.

Not all crocuses produce this delicious spice. You can only harvest saffron from the saffron crocus (Crocus sativus). Because this crocus variety blooms in the fall, it's often mistaken for the autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale). Both plants bloom in the fall, are grown from corms and have similar colors.

The Autumn Crocus is highly toxic and can cause severe vomiting, gastrointestinal bleeding, liver and kidney damage, and respiratory failure. If you're not sure what plant it is, bring your pet to their veterinarian immediately for care. Signs may be seen immediately but can be delayed for days.

All parts of the plant are considered poisonous to animals and pets should be kept from areas in which Autumn crocus are planted.

Principally, saffron's essential oils and other constituents appear to exhibit both immunomodulatory and anti-asthmatic actions. Saffron has been considered an immune-boosting component, which may be useful in patients with COVID-19 and a weak immune system [41].

More specifically, a saffron extract might inhibit serotonin reuptake in synapses. Inhibiting synaptic serotonin reuptake keeps serotonin in the brain longer, thereby enhancing its positive effects while combating depression.

Since such a small part of the flower is used, it takes 75,000 saffron flowers to make one pound of saffron spice. The small amount of saffron spice per plant, along with the fact that harvesting must be done manually, leads to saffron's being majorly expensive.

Crocus plants will multiply and come back year after year, bringing more blooms with them each time.

What is the easiest crocus to grow? ›

'Zwanenburg Bronze' (Crocus chrysanthus 'Zwanenburg Bronze')

'Zwanenburg Bronze' is one of the easiest crocuses varieties to grow, and it naturalizes very easily.

Crocus flowers come in Easter-egg colors of purple, yellow, lavender, cream and white. Over time, these carefree bulbs will naturalize and multiply to produce more flowers every year.

Crocus sieberi (Sieber's Crocus)

Vigorous, Crocus sieberi is a late winter-flowering crocus producing its charming flowers as the snow melts. Regarded by some as one of the most attractive crocuses, it is very hardy and ridiculously easy to grow, making long-lived clumps.

All parts of autumn crocuses are poisonous, the greatest concentrations of toxic alkaloids occurring in the flowers and seeds. The corm is also toxic containing 0.05% alkaloids, in contrast to 0.2% in the seeds.

Perhaps the most well-known of the early bulbs that peek up while snow still blankets the ground, crocus are generally left alone by deer, although they are not truly deer-proof. When food is in very short supply, deer might eat crocus foliage. Rabbits and squirrels, however, will quite happily dig up the bulbs.

Saffron reduced depression in patients in several clinical trials similar to taking SSRIs. Studies in rats suggest that saffron interacts with the serotonin system, so it could potentially influence serotonin syndrome [73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78].

The process is so delicate and time consuming that it requires 80,000 crocus flowers to produce just one pound of saffron. These flowers must be grown, cared for and hand harvested to prevent damaging the flowers during the autumn season when the flowers bloom.

A crocus is the flower produced from corms, or commonly crocus bulbs. Saffron is a rare and popular spice, made from the dried flower stigmas of the specific Crocus Sativus variety. Which crocus is edible? Crocus Sativus, also known as autumn crocus or saffron crocus, is the only variety that produces an edible part.

A kilo of Kashmiri saffron can reportedly cost up to INR 3 lakhs. Question: What is the most expensive spice in the world? Answer: Kashmiri saffron is considered to be one of the most expensive spice in the world.

Mongra is the best quality of saffron. At Kashmirica, we only sell the Kashmiri Mongra form of Saffron which has a beautiful aroma and an attractive red color. In our opinion, Kashmiri Mongra is the best saffron in the world.

What is the best grade of saffron? ›

1) Grade 1 or A+ or All Red: All Red saffron that contains stigmas only. This is 100% Premium saffron. The highest quality of the saffron threads is referred to as "Negin". Negin translated means "The Diamond on a Ring".

Saffron is the rarest, most expensive food on earth—more valuable than caviar, truffles, premium vanilla beans, real Japanese wasabi, and any other luxury food you can think of. There have been periods in history when saffron, by weight, was even more expensive than gold!

Large equipment such as tractors and rigs are used for cultivation, which can significantly stack up the production saffron price. In addition, Spanish saffron production happens on very low levels and It is only enough for their domestic use. On the other hand, in Iran, farmers cultivate saffron in small farms.

Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world. Produced from the stigma of the autumn flowering purple crocus (Crocus sativus), it has at points in history been worth three times the price of gold. Like all rare and valuable commodities, saffron has a history rich with legend.

Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not use saffron. Interactions. When used as a supplement, saffron may cause problems for people on blood pressure medicine or blood thinners. Check with your doctor before using it if you are taking medication.

Saffron is rich in vitamin C and selenium, both of which help in improving the quality of sperm. The spice has been known to benefit in the problem of premature ejaculation as it increases the level of Testosterone in the body.

The best saffron should be a deep red with orange/yellow tips.

Colchicum are more commonly known as autumn crocuses as they look so similar to spring crocuses. However, they're in fact part of the lily family and are not related to the familiar crocus at all.

Crocus sativus, commonly known as saffron crocus or autumn crocus, is a species of flowering plant in the iris family Iridaceae.

Colchicum autumnale, commonly called autumn crocus or meadow saffron, is a cormous perennial that typically blooms in early fall.

What is the difference between Colchicum and autumn crocus? ›

Autumn crocuses are sometimes confused with Colchicum autumnale. Colchicums are similar in overall appearance but have larger flowers and much larger clusters of leaves that appear in spring and dieback by late summer.

Colchicum prefers full to part sun (shade in hot summer areas), and rich, well-drained soil.

Plant the waxy, irregular corms covered in a dark-brown, leathery skin in well-drained soil about 6 inches apart. The corms are quite large and should be planted 3-6 inches deep.

Farmers in the US have been growing the saffron crocus since the 17th century when the Pennsylvania Dutch first brought these little bulbs to the US. It's possible to farm this spice here if labor costs permit. Grown in a raised bed garden or containers, this plant can fit anywhere!

Kashmiri saffron is highly regarded for its quality and is often considered among the finest in the world. Kashmiri saffron, also known as Kashmiri Kesar or Kashmir Saffron, is highly regarded for its exceptional quality and is considered among the finest saffron varieties in the world.

Plants in this genus contain toxic amounts of the alkaloid colchicine which is used pharmaceutically to treat gout and Familial Mediterranean fever. The use of the roots and seeds in traditional medicine is thought to have arisen due to the presence of this drug. Its leaves, corm and seeds are poisonous.

Colchicum (Colchicum byzantinum) also known as Autumn Crocus is a bulbous perennial. They come from the Liliaceae family.

Colchicum autumnale, commonly known as autumn crocus, meadow saffron, or naked ladies, is a toxic autumn-blooming flowering plant that resembles the true crocuses, but is a member of the plant family Colchicaceae, unlike the true crocuses, which belong to the family Iridaceae.