Morphological features and examination of Colchicum speciosum distributed in the Basyayla plateau, Turkey

Colchicum speciosum, a naturally-occurring species in Turkey, belongs to the genus Colchicum and family Liliaceae. Known locally as “Döngeri”, “Vargit”, “Güzgülü”, “Acıçiğdem”, it colours the upland meadows when blooming in autumn. It is the indicator of winter and awakens the local people for migration to Black Sea upland meadows. Its seeds are so valuable because of the colchicine content, used to produce drugs for several diseases, it is also a poisonous herb and has been cultivated in gardens as an ornamental. Colchicum speciosum has several different uses at the studies of pastoral and urban landscape architect for different locations because of their remarkable flowers, blooming periods and growing environments. The plant has significant ornamental potential and is used in this way abroad, but is not widely used in urban areas locally. This study looked at the main morphological features of the species and the natural landscape distribution, according to the landscape planning criteria, to supplement the use of this plant in urban landscape.