Colchicum autumnale
Colchicum autumnale
FamilyGenus: Colchicumnative in Germany
🌿
11
Species
interact
🔗
21
Interactions
documented
About this species
A native autumn-flowering herbaceous perennial of damp meadows and woodland edges in Great Britain, with broad leaves and crocus-like blooms from August to November. It thrives in half-shade on moderately moist, neutral to slightly acidic soils and reaches about 18 cm in height.
Ecological network
Click to highlight connections · Click again to open the species page
Loading network...
PollinationFlower visit
Ecological significance
This plant is associated with low-disturbance habitats and forms arbuscular mycorrhizal relationships with soil fungi.
Annual cycle
Herbaceous perennial; blooms from August to November.
Standort & Merkmale
Light
Halbschatten
Moisture
Frisch (Mäßig feucht)
Soil
Mittelzehrer (Normaler Boden)
Flowering period
Aug – Nov
Soil reaction
Basisch / Kalkhold
Bioregion
Continental
Growth form
Krautige Pflanze
Woodiness
Nicht verholzt
Leaf type
Breitblättrig
Plant height
0.179 m
Morphological traits: TRY ID3 (CC BY 3.0) & TRY ID81 (CC BY)
Pflege & Anbau
Plant in partial shade in a moisture-retentive yet well-drained soil of moderate fertility. A neutral to slightly acidic pH is ideal. Space corms about 10 cm apart in late summer for same-year blooms. Little feeding is needed; a light autumn mulch helps conserve soil moisture. Allow foliage to yellow naturally before cutting back.
Scientific profile
Colchicum autumnale is a native, non-woody herbaceous perennial that reaches around 18 cm in height. It grows in half-shade, preferring fresh, moderately moist soils of neutral to slightly acidic reaction and moderate nutrient levels. The plant bears broad leaves, and its crocus-like flowers appear from August through November. It forms arbuscular mycorrhizal partnerships and occurs in habitats with low disturbance intensity, such as damp meadows, grassy places and open woodland.
Pollinators & visitors
7 Arten interagieren mit dieser Pflanze
Lycaena phlaeasBombus sylvestrisBombus pascuorumBombus lucorumTiphia femorataApis melliferaBombus terrestris
Other flower visitors
4 other species visit the flowers
Sources & data origin
•Interaktionsdaten via GloBI (CC-BY 4.0)
•pollinator_interactions
•FloraWeb / BfN
•EIVE 1.0 — Dengler et al. (2023), DOI: 10.3897/VCS.98324 (CC BY 4.0)
•GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — GBIF Secretariat (2024), DOI: 10.15468/39omei (CC BY 4.0)
•TRY Categorical Traits (ID3) — Kattge et al. (2012), DOI: 10.17871/TRY.3 (CC BY 3.0)
•TRY Global Spectrum (ID81) — Díaz et al. (2016/2021), DOI: 10.17871/TRY.81 (CC BY)
•Govaerts R et al. (2025) — World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP) v14. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. DOI: 10.34885/xs7h-ze42 (CC BY 4.0)
•Foto: © Adobe Stock / AdobeStock_118195449
All data is licensed under CC BY 4.0, CC0, or compatible terms. Attribution according to license conditions. Full source overview →