SCILLA CYDONIA

Family and Genus:- See- HYACINTHACEAE

Common Names:- None

Homotypic Synonyms:- Scilla nivalis

Meaning:- Scilla (Gr) Ancient name for squill.

Cydonia (L) The Latin name for an "apple" tree from Cydon (Hania).

General description:- Glabrous perennial.

Bulb:-

1) 15-20 x 10-14 mm, ovoid; external tunics brown, internal tunics white.

Scape:-

1) Solitary, 4-15 cm, terete, slender.

Leaves:-

1) 2-4, synanthous, 8-10 cm x 2-7 mm, canaliculate, cucullate.

Flowers:-

1) Raceme, 1-4-flowered, pedicels erect, 4-15 mm.

2) Bracts, minute or absent.

3) Perianth, stellate, segments free, persistent, 5-8 x 1.5-2.6 mm, greyish blue to

wine-reddish above, with greenish midvein beneath.

4) Filaments, filiform. 5 x 0.7 mm, greyish blue to wine-reddish.

5) Ovary, globose, mauve with yellowish nerves. Ovules, subglobose, c. 4 per

loculus.

6) Style, 2 mm.

Fruit:-

1) Capsule, irregularly globose.

2) Seeds, 2 mm, with a white elaiosome, testa black when dry, shiny.

Key features:-

1) A slender Scilla distinguished by its green buds and its pale ovary.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Castanea groves, Quercus ilex woodland, maquis, on stony soil with a ±

shallow humus layer over phyllitic schist, (100-)400-1900 m.

Distribution:- Endemic W. Crete & Karpathos. So far on Crete known from three

wet, non-calcareous valleys north-west of the Lefka Ori. Possibly underrecorded

due to its early flowering time and to be looked for in other maquis regions of Crete.

Flowering time:- Feb to early July, depending on altitude.

Photos by:- Fotis Samaritakis

Descriptive text:- By kind permission of Ralf Jahn.

Comment:- Extract from "Flowers of Crete" by Nicholas Turland et al.

"Scilla Cydonia was described in 1998 for the Cretan area representatives of the

widespread S. bifolia complex. This is a ‘true’ Scilla, with free tepals, and not a

former Chionodoxa."