MUSCARI NEGLECTUM

Family and Genus:- See- HYACINTHACEAE/Subgen. BOTRYANTHUS

Common Names:- Grape hyacinth

Homotypic Synonyms:- Botryanthus neglectus, Hyacinthus neglectus,

Muscari racemosum var. neglectum, Muscari racemosum subsp. neglectum.

Meaning:- Muscari (L) Musk-like (from the Turkish, moscos, fragrance).

Neglectum (L) Overlooked, neglected.

General description:- A low to short bulbous perennial.

Bulbs:-

1) With or without offsets; tunics dark to reddish-brown.

Scape:-

1) 4-30 cm, often as long as the leaves.

Leaves:-

1) 3-6, 6-40 cm x 1·5-8 mm, linear to linear-lanceolate, canaliculate or margins

involute. bright green, sometimes reddish at the base.

Flower:-

1) Raceme, usually dense. Fruiting raceme, lax.

2) Pedicel, of fertile flowers 0·5-5 mm, patent or bent sharply deflexed, shorter than

perianth.

3) Fertile flowers, 3·5-7·5 x 1·5-3·5 mm, ovoid to oblong-urceolate, strongly

constricted, very dark to blackish-blue; teeth 0·3-1 mm, white, recurved.

4) Sterile flowers, up to 20, smaller and paler than fertile flowers.

Fruit:-

1) Capsule, 8-10 x 7-10 mm, ovoid to obovoid, emarginate to apiculate.

Key features:-

1) Flowers very dark or blackish-blue.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Open dry shrubby vegetation, open coniferous woodland, and dolines, 0-

2300 m.

Distribution:- Widespread in the Mediterranean region, S Europe and eastwards to

SW & C Asia. Fairly rare on Crete known in the west from the Lefka Ori area and a

few scattered location in the east.

Flowering time:- Feb-June, depending on altitude.

Photos by:- Steve Lenton