Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Epiphyte
Bulb or Corm or Tuber
Origin
Southeastern United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, Caribbean, Central America, South America
Europe, Turkey, Central Asia, Western Asia
Types
-
Colchicum cupanii, Colchicum alpinum
Number of Varieties
345
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Swamps
Fields, meadows, Rocky areas, Shaded sites, Woodlands
USDA Hardiness Zone
10-13-9999
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-9
-
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 23, 24
21,22
Habit
Clump-Forming
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
30.50 cm7.60 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
25.60 cm7.60 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Burgundy, Dark Red, Light Green, Violet, Dark Salmon
White, Yellow, Purple, Violet
Flower Color Modifier
Multi-Color
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Several shades of Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Long Linear
Long Linear
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall
Spring, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Slow
Medium
Type of Soil
-
Loam
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Slightly Acidic
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall, Late Fall
Early Spring, Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall, Late Fall, Winter, Late Winter
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
-
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Bulbs, By dividing rhizomes, tubers, Divison
Divison, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Requires regular watering
Do Not over Water, Medium, Needs less watering, Never Over-water, Requires regular watering, Water less during winter
In Summer
Lots of watering
Ample Water
In Spring
Moderate
Less Watering
In Winter
Average Water
Less Watering
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral, Slightly Acidic
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Type
-
Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts, Remove shoots
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
fertilize in growing season, Less fertilizing
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
-
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flowers
Showy
Showy
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single, Double
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Coarse
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, pollinators
Bees, Butterflies
Allergy
-
Kidney Disease, Low blood pressure, Stomach pain, Toxic, Vomiting
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Bouquets, Showy Purposes
Landscape Designing
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification, No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed, Prevent Soil Erosion
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Cancer, Eye Problems
anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, Diarrhea, Diuretic, Rheumatism
Part of Plant Used
Bulbs, Flowers, Leaves
Flowers, Leaves
Other Uses
Used as Ornamental plant
Employed in herbal medicine, Showy Purposes, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Feature Plant, Houseplant, Mixed Border
Alpine, Container, Cutflower, Foundation, Lawns and Turf, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Botanical Name
PROSTHECHEA cochleata
COLCHICUM
Common Name
Clamshell Orchid, Cockleshell Orchid, Black Orchid
Colchicum
In Hindi
Clamshell Orchid
colchicum
In German
Clamshell Orchid
colchicum
In French
Clamshell Orchid
colchique
In Spanish
Clamshell Orchid
Colchicum
In Greek
Encyclia Cochleata
Colchicum
In Portuguese
Clamshell Orchid
Colchicum
In Polish
Clamshell Orchid
Colchicum
In Latin
Clamshell Orchid
Colchicum
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Liliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Orchidales
Liliales
Family
Orchidaceae
Liliaceae
Genus
Prosthechea
Colchicum
Clade
Angiosperms, Monocots
Angiosperms, Monocots
Tribe
Epidendreae
-
Subfamily
Epidendroideae
Wurmbaeiodeae
Number of Species
50160
1
27800
👆🏻