I found this flower growing at the side of the road and wondered what
it was. The strange thing is that it has no foliage, just stems with
flowers on the end. I'd like some for the garden because it's now
almost November and this little plant is throwing up some great
colour.

I have photos at http://www.w3test.co.uk/flowers/

Any identifictation most appreciated.

Thanks,
R

"Ray Green" wrote in message
...
I found this flower growing at the side of the road and wondered what
it was. The strange thing is that it has no foliage, just stems with
flowers on the end. I'd like some for the garden because it's now
almost November and this little plant is throwing up some great
colour.

I have photos at http://www.w3test.co.uk/flowers/

Any identifictation most appreciated.


Autumn crocus

a google search threw up this image remarkably like yours!

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...ages/harmful_p
lants/autumncrocusimg.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.atomsandants.com/autumncrocus
..htm&h=194&w=300&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dautumn%2Bcrocus%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3De n%2
6lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26sa%3DN

pk

I think it's a colchicum or naked lady. The foliage appears in the spring

"Ray Green" wrote in message
...
I found this flower growing at the side of the road and wondered what
it was. The strange thing is that it has no foliage, just stems with
flowers on the end. I'd like some for the garden because it's now
almost November and this little plant is throwing up some great
colour.

I have photos at http://www.w3test.co.uk/flowers/

Any identifictation most appreciated.

Thanks,
R

Ray Green wrote:

I found this flower growing at the side of the road and wondered what
it was. The strange thing is that it has no foliage, just stems with
flowers on the end. I'd like some for the garden because it's now
almost November and this little plant is throwing up some great
colour.

I have photos at http://www.w3test.co.uk/flowers/

Any identifictation most appreciated.

Thanks,
R

Yes, certainly an autumn crocus.
But there are several species - and the easiest ome by far (IMHO) is
Crocus speciosus. Which might be your plant.
There are also several varieties - all good.
It's certainly no colchicum, I think.
Roger.

--
Walk tall, walk straight, and look the world right into the eye.

You're welcome to visit my gardening page:
http://users.pandora.be/roger.van.loon/gardenp.htm

In article , Ray Green
writes
I found this flower growing at the side of the road and wondered what
it was. The strange thing is that it has no foliage, just stems with
flowers on the end. I'd like some for the garden because it's now
almost November and this little plant is throwing up some great
colour.

I have photos at http://www.w3test.co.uk/flowers/

Any identifictation most appreciated.

Autumn crocus - the bulbs are on sale in the garden centres - if you're
quick you might be able to get some, otherwise you'll have to wait till
next year.
Another thing giving colour atm is the hardy cyclamen - easiest to
settle if you buy a pot of them already growing rather than start from
the dry corm.

--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/garden/

"Ray Green" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 30 Oct 2002 14:04:35 GMT, (Ray Green) wrote:

I have photos at http://www.w3test.co.uk/flowers/

Thanks for the feedback. Autumn crocus are going in Mothers garden for
next year.

R


AFAIK, there are two plants often called Autumn Crocus that turn up in the
wild in UK, Colchicum autumnale and Crocus nudiflorus - and it was the
latter that I always thought was naked ladies or naked boys (hence the
specific name?). The name for the Colchicum given in my Collins Guide is
Meadow Saffron but Clapham, Tutin and Warburg give that, Autumn Crocus and
Naked Ladies.

My interest in C. nudiflorus comes from working in the Mersey Valley in
Manchester where it grows wild, often in large numbers - a local botanist
has researched it and it is often associated with old churches, esp with the
Knights Hospitallers and other crusaders, who may have brought it back
a) thinking it was saffron
b) for dyeing
c) as a medicine
It likes grassy places that are cut sporadically and not in early spring
when it's putting on green growth - the biggest colony (1000s) is on a golf
course.

As for Colchicum, the thing that fascinates me about it is how it is
poisonous - it halts cell division which I guess causes tissue
death...nasty...

As a garden plant C. nudiflorus is maybe not as attractive as its more
vigorous relatives as mostly it seems very weak-stemmed - most of the ones
I've seen in the wild have been more or less horizontal...

Michael S

Michael Savage wrote:

AFAIK, there are two plants often called Autumn Crocus that turn up in the
wild in UK, Colchicum autumnale and Crocus nudiflorus - and it was the
latter that I always thought was naked ladies or naked boys (hence the
specific name?). The name for the Colchicum given in my Collins Guide is
Meadow Saffron but Clapham, Tutin and Warburg give that, Autumn Crocus and
Naked Ladies.

My interest in C. nudiflorus comes from working in the Mersey Valley in
Manchester where it grows wild, often in large numbers - a local botanist
has researched it and it is often associated with old churches, esp with the
Knights Hospitallers and other crusaders, who may have brought it back
a) thinking it was saffron
b) for dyeing
c) as a medicine
It likes grassy places that are cut sporadically and not in early spring
when it's putting on green growth - the biggest colony (1000s) is on a golf
course.

As for Colchicum, the thing that fascinates me about it is how it is
poisonous - it halts cell division which I guess causes tissue
death...nasty...

As a garden plant C. nudiflorus is maybe not as attractive as its more
vigorous relatives as mostly it seems very weak-stemmed - most of the ones
I've seen in the wild have been more or less horizontal...

Michael S

Thanks Michael, I must admid I did overlook Crocus nudiflorus, which
is (sadly) practically unknown in the bulb catalogues. You are quite
right, of course.
I must try to obtain it and try it out in my garden (if it's
commercially available).
Regards,
Roger.