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October 6, 2006 : Colchicum autumnale and Vitis vinifera 'Purpurea'
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Keywords: Colchicaceae | Colchicum autumnale L. | 34955-0075-1985 | Vitaceae | Vitis vinifera 'Purpurea' | 32825-5316-1996
Andy Hill, the horticulturist who is responsible for the Physic Garden, suggested I photograph this ephemeral combination of autumn crocus and 'Purpurea' wine grape, so here it is. The Physic Garden, if you haven't visited it lately, is a gem to visit – every plant is well-tended, labelled and accompanied by a small interpretative sign.
Plants are selected for the Physic Garden based on their historical use as medicinal plants in Europe – you can consider the garden an ancient-day pharmacy or drugstore. However, that's not to say the plants were effective in treatment, only that they were used — appropriately or not — to treat ailments. The Plants for a Future database has entries on both of these taxa: Colchicum autumnale and Vitis vinifera.
By the way, if you are wondering as to why the colchicum are flopsy, you might like to read this recent thread on the UBC Botanical Garden Forums: fall crocuses falling over.
As a second aside for local readers, I did attend Ron Long's presentation on Death Valley wildflowers last night – I highly recommend you see it if and when he presents it again. Plenty of photographs of our shared favourite photographic subjects, cacti and Calochortus. I'll post a reminder in a subsequent entry, but I'll be presenting next month on the evening of November 2. The working title is “Beauty and the Botanist” (a nod of appreciation to Stan Rowe), and the presentation will feature photographs from my BC and Washington travels this year with a mix of scientific and artistic commentary. What you see on BPotD from these trips is sometimes only 2 or 3 photographs out of a hundred or 150, so nearly all of the images will be new to you (if you attend, which I hope you will).
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at October 6, 2006 6:14 AM
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Posted by: Big Al at October 6, 2006 7:07 AM
Colchicum autumnale - Z5 - RHS Index of Garden Plants, Griffiths
Colchicum autumnale - Z5 + not frost tender, Plants For A Future
Vitis vinifera 'Purpurea' - Z6 - RHS Index of Garden Plants, Griffiths
Vitis vinifera 'Purpurea' - Z6-9 - A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, Brickell, Cole, Zuk
Posted by: Beverley at October 6, 2006 11:59 AM
Living in a cold zone, I've found that published zone ratings are frequently not to be trusted. Colchicum autumnale is hardy here in zone 3; my mother also grows them successfully in zone 2.
Posted by: Lori Skulski at October 6, 2006 12:31 PM
Colchicine is still synthetised apparently from crocus but it is a yellow powder as is the pill.
It still is the primary treatment for acute gout
and is used in other nearly untreatable ailments such as pulmonary fibrosis. The main benefit in gout is not only nearly immediate relief but
an almost certain therapeutic trial, if the cellulitis inflammation responds to colchicine then it is gout, if not then something else. So it is indeed a specific.
All other very important plant remedies are nowadays synthetised de novo from scratch, digitalis foxglove, leukovorin periwinkle, aspirin willow bark, gentian violet from gentian violet, vitamin C from paprika, folic acid from green leaves.
Posted by: A Jablanczy at October 6, 2007 10:14 AM
Please share your comments about the photograph(s) and accompanying write-up. Telling a story about the subject of the photograph(s) is also much appreciated! If you have a gardening question, the best place to ask is on the UBC Botanical Garden Forums. Thank you!
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Botany Photo of the Day is a project of the UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research, located in Vancouver, British Columbia Canada. UBC BGCPR is a department of the Faculty of Land and Food Systems within The University of British Columbia.
Colcidine was the only specific for gout for centuries.