About
Colchicum cilicicum 'Purpureum' is a cormous perennial that features elongated, narrow leaves that grow upright in the spring. Once these leaves wither, the plant produces funnel-shaped flowers in the fall, measuring about 10 cm in height, with a rosy purple hue.
About the genus
Colchicum are perennial plants that grow from corms, featuring typically coarse, broad, strap-like leaves. These leaves may emerge alongside or following the goblet-shaped blooms.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil type
- Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained
- Aspect
- West-facing, South-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H5
Plant details
- Plant type
- Bulbs
- Habit
- Columnar upright
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- Up to 10 cm
- Spread
- 0-0.1 metre
- Time to full height
- 2-5 years
- Suggested uses
- Rock garden, Cottage and informal garden, Gravel garden, Wildlife gardens
- Toxicity
- TOXIC if eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling TOXIC to pets - see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants for further information and useful contact numbers
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow in moist but well-drained, deep, humus-rich, fertile soil
- Pruning
- No pruning required
- Propagation
- Separate corms when dormant in summer
- Pest resistance
- May be damaged by slugs
- Disease resistance
- Generally disease-free