Tokyo Food Safety Information Center » Good things to know » Poisonous plants easily mistaken for harmless ones » Autumn crocus (Liliaceae)

Autumn crocus (Liliaceae)

　Perennial plant originating in Europe, growing a 15 cm flower stalk around October. It blooms similar to Crocus sativus, but Crocus sativus belongs to Iridaceae and is a completely different plant. Additionally, next spring it grows 20 cm long leaves and since these are similar to edible wild grass such as alpine leek, there have been cases of accidental ingestion.

Characteristics

Habitat	Cultivated for decoration. Highly resistant to cold temperatures, blooms every year even if it stays planted.
Parts of the plant that may be ingested accidentally.	Whole plant
Symptoms	Vomiting, diarrhea, skin hypoesthesia, breathing difficulties. Serious cases can be fatal.
Venomous constituents	Colchicine