Distribution of the species
Relatively common species, found in dry, stony places, juniper bushes, oak and deciduous forest openings, road sides, disturbed habitats, from the lowest mountain altitudes to 1,250 m asl. (1,550), while it can occasionally be found up to the tree-line.
Description of the species (biological and ecological features)
Common on Mt. Paggaio. It is geophyte with an underground corm, which is surrounded by membranous, often aromatic tunics, reddish-brown in color. The colchicum of Bivona, named in honor of the Sicilian botanist Antonino de Bivona-Bernardi, has the largest and most impressive flowers of all other species of the genus in Greece, is tessellated, during which on the upper surface of the uniform sepals and petals of the flower, small irregular shapes are formed, with a more intense or softer shade so as to give the impression of a “mosaic”. The flowers and leaves emerge directly from the corm. Its 5-12 equal-length leaves, that will emerge in next spring, are slightly twisted, with a rounded apex. It flowers from September to mid-November. Colchicine produces a toxic alkaloid, colchicine. Its therapeutic value has been known in medicine since antiquity. It has been used for centuries to treat rheumatic pains and gout, and has been used as a laxative. In the last three decades, it has been used for recurrent pericarditis, while it constitutes one of the main ingredients of the medicines used for the treatment of COVID-19. The name of the plants comes from Colchis, an ancient city in present-day Georgia, on the east coast of the Black Sea, perhaps best known for the myth of the Argonaut quest. It is said that Medea, the classic poisoner of Greek myth, killed her children in Colchis with such a poison. There were no recorded testimonies of the incident and therefore we are “entangled” in myths. However, it is known that all species of these plants are highly toxic, with poisoning manifestations similar to those of the Arsenic.
Due to its relatively wide distribution on Mount Paggaio, no particular threats and pressures were observed or reported, which could lead to a significant reduction in its population.
Conservation status
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Conservation state
It is not subjected to any national or international conservation status.