They end the garden year with colorful carpets of flowers. During their flowering period from August to October, autumn crocuses delight with their decorative flowers, which at first glance are indistinguishable from crocus flowers. In fact, a mix-up can be deadly. Read here why this is so. How to recognize an autumn crocus.
Autumn crocuses and crocuses have a lot in common - but what sets them apart is the flowering time
Poisonous beauty with crocus-like flowers
The autumn crocus belongs to the lily family (Liliales), while the crocus belongs to the irises (Iridaceae). There is therefore no botanical relationship. The vernacular dubs the autumn crocus aptly as poison crocus, since the plant is extremely poisonous. All parts contain the highly toxic alkaloid colchicine, which, even in small amounts, can cause severe symptoms of poisoning and even death. You can recognize an autumn crocus by these attributes:
- 6 stamens instead of 3 in the crocus
- Onion bulbs are more than twice the size of crocus bulbs
When the spring-blooming crocuses take center stage in the garden, the blossoms of autumn crocuses have long since turned into small fruit capsules. There is therefore a risk of confusion primarily with autumn crocuses, such as the magnificent crocus (Crocus speciosus).