Meadow Saffron (Colchicum autumnale)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Vascular plant > flowering plant > Herbaceous plant |
| Red List Status: | Near Threatened (Not Relevant) [NT(nr)] |
| D5 Status: | Included in the baseline Red List Index for England (Wilkins, Wilson & Brown, 2022) |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | (none) |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Colchicum autumnale |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | L. |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | in Stroh et al., 2014 |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | (none) |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Assessed as LC in England as then there is no evidence of a long term decline although it is noted that some historic declines predate this (Stroh et al., 2014). However, the results of Plant Atlas 2020 indicate a moderate long term decline, presumably due to loss/improvement of its hay meadow habitats since the 1950s and removal due to toxicity to livestock. Possibly a borderline species for recovery actions but one that is likely to benefit from landscape scale measures. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | A very rare species away from the Welsh Borders and possibly a candidate for reintroduction in counties where extinct. |
| Question 3: | At a landscape scale, would the species benefit from untargeted habitat management to increase habitat mosaics, structural diversity, or particular successional stages? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Landscape scale initiatives that include grazing of wood pasture are likely to benefit this species in the Welsh Borders where it is still relatively common. Public engagement and advice may also be useful/required due to toxicity to livestock |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 5. Remedial action identified |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Low - Combination or other (detail in comments) |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - sufficient |
| Species Comments: | Possibly an unpopular species for reintroduction due to its toxicity to livestock. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Trial reintroduction at historic sites in counties where now extinct, especially sites managed by conservation bodies (e.g. Wildlife Trusts, RSPB, National Trust).
Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled
Action type: (Re-)introduction
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites: Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire, North Lincolnshire, etc.
Comments:
Acknowledgment:
Data used on this website are adapted from Threatened species recovery actions 2025 baseline (JP065): Technical report and spreadsheet user guide (Natural England, 2025). Available here.