After a year or so they will separate and become a new mother corm that continues the cycle described above. These corms also have their own roots, and will start to develop separately from the normal mother and daughter corms, acting much like seedlings. The mother corm develops extra buds which can develop into secondary corms either in the fall or spring. Mature plants that have reached the optimal depth and have enough starch stored will start the vegetative process. In order to keep the discussion simple I made no mention of vegetative reproduction – the formation of new baby corms. The above description illustrates how daughter corms take over the role of mother corms to carry on the life of the plant. Secondary corm found inside of the sheaf around the corms dug in October, by Robert Pavlis By June the old mother corm is completely used up and the daughter corm is fully charged, ready to become next years mother corm. In spring, the leaves finally develop above ground and replenish the total starch stored in the corms. During winter and spring starch moves from the mother corm to the daughter corm as it continues development. As flowers expand in fall the starch level drops. The following diagram, from The Role of the Roots in the Life Strategy of Colchicum autumnale, ref 1, shows how starch levels change during the season in both mother and daughter.ĭuring rest in August, the old mother corm has a maximum of starch stored up. It is interesting to see how starch levels change over time. This requires a lot of stored energy and the most common form of this energy is starch. The mother corm is responsible for growing roots, flowers and leaves. Seeds have been produced and daughter corms are developed and full of food. In June, new buds are starting to form which will become the new daughter corms in the following year.īy the end of June the growing cycle is complete. The seeds continue their ripening process, becoming fully ripe in early July. The mother corm continues to shrink, its role is now complete.īy early May the roots are no longer needed and they start to die off. Many of the nutrients in the leaves, especially nitrogen, are sent to the daughter corm as the leaves turn yellow and die back. Soon the seed capsule can be seen inside the bunch of leaves. One of the most surprising things for me is that as the leaves get taller, the stem holding the seed capsule also grows. For such a small corm they really are huge. Roots are now very active, providing the water and nutrients needed by the large leaves. The mother corm continues to reduce in size, while the daughter corm grows. The leaves start photosynthesis and send the food produced to the daughter corm. The food reserves in the mother corm are used to expand and grow the new leaves. In their native land they grow in meadows and this early start helps them grow before grasses and other plants produce too much shade. Remember they have been hiding just below the surface of the soil so that they can reach sun as quickly as possible in spring. This is the best time to move them and it would be the best time to buy new ones except that nurseries don’t sell them at this time of year.Ĭolchicum seed pod can be seen in the center of the leaves, used with permission of Cold Climate Gardening, ref 2Īs soon as the soil starts to warm up, the leaves start to grow. There is no visible sign above ground, and the roots have died off. July and August – Dormancyīy July the plant has gone dormant. The date references on the pictures are from my zone 5 garden. The reference to months in the subheadings is approximate and mostly refers to the climate in their native home, which is around zone 6. In this post I will focus on describing the life cycle in a chronological order so that you can better understand the changes that take place during the year. I have written about the general culture of Colchicum autumnale as one of my favorite plants. There are about 160 Cholchicum species and all would be great plants to grow, but they are not common in the trade. The leaves are from a hydrangea bush, by Robert PavlisĬolchicum autumnale is the most common colchicum in gardens and is also known by the common names naked lady, meadow saffron, wonder bulb, naked boy and mysteria. Colchicum autumnale in fall showing flowers.
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