Family : Colchicacea, (formerly included in the vast Liliacea complex)
 
Plant : tunicate bulbous corm, 1 - 3" diameter, oblong shape with a at the base and pointed top.  

Leaf : typical bulbous monocot leaves emerge in early Spring.   Up to 18" tall and 4" wide in some varieties.   Each corm has several of the course, blunt tipped leaves with noticeable parallel veins.   Foliage is shiny and attractive when emerging, but is a tattered eyesore by the time it disappears in June.

Flower : showy, large, crocus-like blossoms in Autumn, 4-8" tall, blooms "snaked" without leaves or stalk.   6 perianth segments joined at the base, 6 stamens and 3 styles.   (True crocus have 3 stamens and one tripartite style.)   Colors usually range from lavender to pinkish to white.   Some have tessellated or checkered patterns if examined closely.

Root : Basal roots on the corm are active from Autumn til late Spring when the bulb goes dormant.

Origin : Perhaps central Europe where many species of Colchicum are native.   The name "colchicum" comes from the Colchis region of Europe, near present day Georgia.

Chemistry : The chemical colchicine is from colchicums.   The chemical formula is (S) N-(5,6,7,9-tetrahydro- 1,2,3, IO-tetramethoxy-9-oxobenzo [alpha] heptaien-7-yl) acetamide, so we will just call it colchicine .   As a medicine it is used to treat acute gouty arthritis and a few other ailments.    Plant breeders use colchicines to induce polyploidy, multiple sets of chromosome.  Polyploid mutants with their extra chromosomes are desirable garden plants because they are often larger and more vigorous than the straight type.