Colchicum autumnale (Meadow saffron). Bangor Botanic Garden.

Colchicum autumnale (Meadow saffron). Bangor Botanic Garden. Meadow saffron grows in a few old meadows. The plant probably suffered from over collection in the past and in recent times it has been removed because it is poisonous to animals. Meadow saffron is extremely useful because it is the source of colchicine, which is used to control gout. Pedanius Dioscorides mentions its use for gout in the Materia Medica, which was written in the first century AD.