Photos

The autumn crocus or meadow saffron (Colchicum autumnale) is beautiful but very poisonous plant grows in moisty meadows in mountains. I took this picture in the Male Pieniny Mountains.

The extreme toxicity of this plant has been known since the times of ancient Greece, but in the fifth century, herbalists in the Byzantine Empire discovered it could be used to treat rheumatism and arthritis, and the Arabs began to use it for gout. The useful active ingredient in the plant is an alkaloid called colchicine, which is still used to treat gout and which has anticancer properties.

There is an old legend telling about a mystical land called Colchis. It was where famous poisoners lived. In a secret garden, full of poisonous plants and herbs, grew a magic plant, the favorite flower of the most beautiful poisoner Medea.



Zimowit jesienny (Colchicum autumnale):

Zgodnie z grecką legendą zimowity powstały z magicznego napoju mitycznej czarodziejki Medei, którego kilka kropel upadło na ziemię Kolchidy – krainy u podnóża Kaukazu. Krople te zamieniły się w kwiaty zimowita. Od Kolchidy bierze się łacińska nazwa zimowita: „colchicum”.