Latin bulbo – having a bulb, codon – a bell, referring to the bell-shaped flowers emerging from the bulb-like corm.
Perennial cormous herbs. Leaves annual in a basal rosette, sheathing, linear. Flowers bell-shaped, clawed, radially symmetrical, shortly stalked, stalks not articulated. Inflorescence a terminal, more or less stalkless, 1- to many-flowered umbel emerging from a tubular sheath. Tepals 3+3, fused, with 3 basal fused teeth internally. Stamens 3+3, attached to tepal tube. Styles 3, fused basally. Fruit a dehiscent capsule; seeds spherical, brown.
Grown for the attractive flowers. Sometimes included within Colchicum.
One species is sometimes grown in Australia.
2 species from S and E Europe.
Clustered linear leaves and stalkless clusters of bell-shaped, clawed flowers with 3 fused basal teeth and basally fused styles.
Source: (2005). Colchicaceae. In: . Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 5. Flowering plants. Monocotyledons. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.
