Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 13 (2011) 227–244 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics j o ur nal homepage: www.elsevier.de/ppees Biological Flora of Central Europe Colchicum autumnale L. Linda S. Jung a,∗,1 , Silvia Winter b,∗∗,1 , R. Lutz Eckstein a , Monika Kriechbaum b , Gerhard Karrer c , Erik Welk d , Martin Elsässer e , Tobias W. Donath a , Annette Otte a a Department of Landscape Ecology and Resource Management, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, D-35392 Giessen, Germany b Institute of Integrative Nature Conservation Research, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Gregor-Mendel Str. 33, A-1180 Vienna, Austria c Institute of Botany, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Gregor-Mendel Str. 33, A-1180 Vienna, Austria d Institute of Biology, Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Am Kirchtor 1, D-06108 Halle/Saale, Germany e Agricultural Centre of Cattle Production, Grassland Management, Dairy Management, Wildlife Biology and Fisheries Baden-Wuerttemberg (LAZBW), Education and Knowledge Centre Aulendorf-Livestock Farming, Green Agriculture, Wildlife, Fisheries (LVVG), Atzenberger Weg 99, D-88326 Aulendorf, Germany a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 9 April 2010 Received in revised form 18 January 2011 Accepted 11 April 2011 Keywords: Colchicaceae Grassland Species biology Management a b s t r a c t Colchicum autumnale is a perennial hysteranthous geophyte, which is native to Europe. It is characteristic of periodically wet to moderately moist grasslands but also occurs in alluvial forests. This article gives an overview of the taxonomy, distribution, life cycle, and population biology of C. autumnale and puts special emphasis on its morphology, germination and its response to competition and management. © 2011 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved. Taxonomy and morphology Taxonomy Colchicum autumnale L. Sp. Pl. (1753): 341–Herbst-Zeitlose, Zeit- lose, autumn crocus, meadow saffron. Homotypic synonyms: Bulbocodium autumnale (L.) Lapeyr. Heterotypic synonyms: Colchicum borisii stef.; C. bulgaricum Velen.; C. commune (L.) Neck., nom. superfl.; C. crociflorum Sims; C. drenowskii Degen & Rech. f. ex Kitan.; C. orientale Friv. ex Kunth; C. pannonicum Griseb. & Schenk; C. polyanthon Ker Gawl.; C. praecox Spenn.; C. rhodopaeum Kov.; C. transsilvanicum Schur; C. vernale Hoffm.; C. vernum (Reichard) Georgi; C. vranjanum Adamovic ex Stef., des. inval. The genus Colchicum L. belongs to the Colchicaceae, a fam- ily that was in the past included in the Liliaceae s.l. Members of the Colchicaceae are perennial herbs with a subterranean corm or rhizome and hypogynous flowers with six tepals (Bowles, 1924; ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +49 641 9937 172; fax: +49 641 9937 169. ∗∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +43 1 47654 4503; fax: +43 1 47654 4504. E-mail addresses: linda.jung@umwelt.uni-giessen.de (L.S. Jung), silvia.winter@boku.ac.at (S. Winter). 1 These authors contributed equally. Nordenstam, 1998). The phylogeny of the family has been recon- structed using plastid (Rudall et al., 2000; Vinnersten and Reeves, 2003) and mitochondrial DNA (Fay et al., 2006). According to a recent synopsis (Persson, 2007), the genus Colchicum (incl. Merendera Ramond and Bulbocodium L.) comprises 99 species. Most of these are confined to small areas, from northern Africa, southern Europe, and the Middle East through western Asia to the borders of central Asia. C. autumnale is one of the few more widespread species and the only species to extend to northern Europe and Great Britain (Persson, 1993). While Stefanoff (1926) placed C. alpinum DC. in a different subgenus (Archicolchicum), Bowles (1952) identified it as one of the next relatives of C. autum- nale, together with C. neapolitanum Ten. and C. corsicum Baker. The Iberian Colchicum multiflorum Brot. is also very closely related to C. autumnale. According to Meusel et al. (1965), most Colchicum species of southwestern Europe are closely related to C. autumnale. Flora Europaea (Brickell, 1980) accepted 39 Colchicum species of which C. rhodopaeum Kov., C. drenowskii Degen & Rech. f. and C. borisii Stef. were subsequently relegated to the synonymy of C. autumnale (Persson, 1993, 2007). Brickell (1980) proposed a “C. autumnale group” including C. autumnale, C. neapolitanum, C. lusi- tanum Brot., C. lingulatum Boiss. & Spruner and C. parnassicum Sart., Orph. & Heldr. ex Boiss., while noting that this group is not fully understood and in need of further study. This statement might apply to the genus in general and in particular to species with leaves and flowers appearing in different seasons (i.e. hysteranthous). In 1433-8319/$ – see front matter © 2011 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.ppees.2011.04.001