NAME: Autumn Crocus OTHER COMMON NAMES: Meadow Saffron / Naked Lady / Mysteria SCIENTIFIC NAME: Colchicum Autumnale COLOR: Purplish Pink PLANT SEEDS: Outdoors after frost / Indoors weeks before last frost / Fall BLOOM TIME: Sept - Oct HARDINESS ZONE: (4) 5 - 10 PLANT HEIGHT: 6 - 12” PLANT SPACING: 3 - 6” LIGHT REQUIREMENTS: Sun SOIL WATER PREFERENCES: Average - Moist QUANTITY: 10 Seeds OTHER: This plant is called ‘Autumn Crocus’ because it looks just like a crocus it blooms in autumn. It gets the nick name ‘Naked Lady’ because its flower spikes appear when there are no leaves on the plant. I have no idea where the 3rd name ‘Mysteria’ comes from, but it sounds cool so I don‘t mind. Whatever you choose to call it, Colchicum Autumnale is the most cold hardy of all the Autumn Crocuses. This European native has huge 5-7” by 2-3” wide flowers that are very eye-catching! The plant will develop corms that can be divided every few years. These corms have several medicinal uses including treatments for gout and caner, but all parts of the plant seeds can be poisonous, so don’t experiment on you own. This species is considered an endangered plant in many countries worldwide. Help mother nature by planting these as bedding plants, in borders, or naturalized in meadows, fields, lawns. They are deer resistant! * We have a large selection