A perennial herb from a short bulb-like corm. Leaves 4-5, linear, narrow-elliptic, ribbed, sheathing. Flowers numerous, to 8 cm long, bell-shaped.Tepals white with dark purple-spotted apices. Anthers pale brown.Autumn.

Very closely related to C. cilicicum and possibly a natural hybrid from that species.

C. cilicicum (Boiss.) Dammer. from Turkey, Syria and Lebanon has 4-5, linear, narrow-elliptic, ribbed, sheathing leaves. Flowers few to numerous, to 7.5 cm long, bell-shaped; autumn. Tepals lilac-purple to rose-purple, sometimes tessellated. Anthers bright yellow.

C. kotschyi Boiss. from Turkey, Iran and Iraq has 3-5 leaves, lanceolate to elliptic, sheathing. Flowers 3-12, to 5.5 cm long, funnel-shaped; late summer to autumn. Tepals white to purplish-pink. Anthers yellow.

Turkey, Syria and Lebanon.

Source: Conran, J. (2005). Colchicaceae. In: Spencer, R.. Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 5. Flowering plants. Monocotyledons. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.