Common grape hyacinth |
Habit and flowers of the common grape hyacinth
| Muscari botryoides (L.) Miller: | |
| Blooming period: | May–June |
| Height: | approx. 20 cm |
| Flowers: | bisexual, actinomorphic, 2–4 mm long, stamens: 6, styles: 1 |
| Tepals: | 6, blue, bell-shaped |
| Leaves: | mostly 2, basal, parallel-veined, linear |
Plant perennial, herbaceous with 1–2 cm thick bulb coated with transparent or light brown tunic.
Stems upright, incl. flower scape about 20 cm high.
Leaves 2–5, basal, erect, fleshy, upper side or grooved or leaf in cross section U-shaped, 3–8 mm wide, below the hooded tip at its widest, 15–35 cm long (but usually shorter than the stem).
The stems bears a terminal, up to 6 cm long flower scape with a dense raceme of 12–20 bright to sky blue, not glaucous, less than 5 mm long stalked and spherical to urceolate flowers.
The upper flowers are sterile and slightly lighter and smaller than the lower hermaphrodite flowers. The flowers have small white lobes at the mouth and do not smell.
The 6 small, dark blue stamens are united with the corolla tube and are included. The superior ovary consist of 3 carpels and bears a stylus with a 3-lobed stigma.
After pollination by bees and bumblebees the ovary form membranous, ovate, 3-edged, approx. 5 mm long capsules with 6 seeds. No formation of daughter bulbs. Plant slightly toxic, garden escape.
| Floral formula: |
| * [P(3+3) A3+3] G(3) superior |
Occurrence:
Dry
grasslands, roadsides, railway tracks, often near human settlements.
Prefers slightly moist soils and slightly warm and semi-shady locations.
Distribution:
Originally
Mediterranean. The populations in the rest of Europe are based
on feral garden plants.