Examples of autumn crocus in a Sentence
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This story begins 3,500 years ago in ancient Egypt, where an extract from the corms and seeds of the Mediterranean or autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale) was used for treating rheumatism and swollen joints.
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Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 7 May 2026
The flowers of autumn crocus have six stamens, while the flowers of spring crocus have three stamens.
—Sheryl Geerts, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Sep. 2025
Some plants can poison pets if eaten: autumn crocus, cyclamen, kalanchoe, daffodils and true lilies can be fatal, while others are more benign.
—Sara Okeefe, The Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2024
At once delicate and flamboyant, beautiful but somewhat creepy, the gloriosa lily, a.k.a. Gloriosa superba — which is not a true lily at all but a species of the autumn crocus family Colchicaceae — adds a showy, if vaguely menacing, glamour to floral arrangements and gardens.
—Amanda Fortini Kyoko Hamada, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2023
Colchicums are more expensive than autumn crocus but cheaper than a deer fence.
—Adrian Higgins, Washington Post, 4 Sep. 2019
The idea that colchicine—a poison drawn from the seeds and stem of the lovely autumn crocus—could be used to prevent complications in patients undergoing heart surgery was an intoxicating one.
—Clifton Leaf, Fortune, 6 Jan. 2018
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Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 7 May 2026
The flowers of autumn crocus have six stamens, while the flowers of spring crocus have three stamens.
—Sheryl Geerts, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Sep. 2025
Some plants can poison pets if eaten: autumn crocus, cyclamen, kalanchoe, daffodils and true lilies can be fatal, while others are more benign.
—Sara Okeefe, The Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2024
At once delicate and flamboyant, beautiful but somewhat creepy, the gloriosa lily, a.k.a. Gloriosa superba — which is not a true lily at all but a species of the autumn crocus family Colchicaceae — adds a showy, if vaguely menacing, glamour to floral arrangements and gardens.
—Amanda Fortini Kyoko Hamada, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2023
Colchicums are more expensive than autumn crocus but cheaper than a deer fence.
—Adrian Higgins, Washington Post, 4 Sep. 2019
The idea that colchicine—a poison drawn from the seeds and stem of the lovely autumn crocus—could be used to prevent complications in patients undergoing heart surgery was an intoxicating one.
—Clifton Leaf, Fortune, 6 Jan. 2018
Cite this Entry
“Autumn crocus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autumn%20crocus. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
autumn crocus
noun
au·tumn cro·cus
ˌȯt-əm-ˈkrō-kəs 
: an autumn-blooming herb (Colchicum autumnale of the family Colchicaceae) that is the source of medicinal colchicum
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