Colchicumautumnale

Colchicum autumnale, the so-called meadow saffron, or autumn crocus, is a British plant belonging to the Melanthaceae, and so differing from the crocus, which it resembles externally, in having a superior (though subterranean) ovary and six stamens. It grows abundantly in limestone pastures in the west of England, and is also collected for pharmaceutical purposes in Germany. It has a solid bulb, bearing in spring broadish leaves, like those of the tulip, which die down in summer. The flowers, which are white or pale violet, coming in autumn without leaves, are known colloquially as "naked ladies." After flowering, the stalk bearing the capsule lengthens.