J040 MUSCARI 



prominent perianth-segments, as in tlie true hyacinth. 

 The common Grape Hyacinth, which every garden lover 

 knows, is called M. botryoides, which means "lilse a 

 bunch o£ grapes." Everybody who has any ground for 

 gardening should have some bulbs of this common 

 kind, both blue-flowered and white. All the other kinds 

 described below are fanciers' plants, interesting chiefly 

 to skilled amateurs. Among them the most remarkable 

 is the Feathered Hyacinth {M. comosum, var. mon- 

 stro.iiim), which is a mass of lilac shreds (see Fig. 

 1438). Any species of Muscari is likely to have some 

 sterile fls. at the top of the cluster which are often of a 

 different color, but in the Feathered Hyacinth there is 

 no suggestion left of the urn-shaped flower, sterile and 

 fertile fls. all being cut into fine strips. This attrac- 

 tive plant has lately been sold for fancy prices by a few 

 progressive florists. 



All Grape Hyacinths are very much alike and are very 

 interesting, botanically, horticulturally and from the ar- 

 tistic point of view. There are perhaps 40 species in Eu- 

 rope, western Asia and northern Africa. The group needs 

 botanical revision badly. The chiefly literary sources are 

 Baker in Jour. Linn. Soc. vol. 11 (1871), and in G.C. II. 

 9:798 (1878); also Boissier's Flora Orientalis. The 

 width of the Ivs. is an important character, and Baker's 

 measurements seem to refer to herbarium specimens. 

 Live plants should be wider. (A line is a twelfth of an 

 inch.) W. M. 



Grape Hyacinths are neat little early flowering bul- 

 bous plants, good-sized colonies of which give dainty 

 effects in the border from February to May. There are 

 numerous species of these, flowering at dilferent times. 

 They are mostly dark purple in color, either self-colored 

 or tipped with white. There are also a few white and 

 yellow forms, and several species with true blue flowers, 

 the rarest color among flowers, though this would never 

 be discovered in catalogues. M. Ssorilsianiim, one of 

 the true blue forms, is quite the prettiest of the genus. 

 The plant known to the trade as M. Untjulatum or Hiia- 

 cinthiis asure-HH has the true blue of M. Szovititinniim, 

 and is fully a month earlier. The usual forms grown in 

 girdens are mostly blue (purple) and white forms of 

 Jl. botrjioides. M. eonienm is very dark. The Dutch 

 catalogues offer numerous kinds to suit purses in all 

 stages of decrepitude. Muscari offer no difficulties in 

 cultivation. A medium soil perhaps suits them best, 

 but they are usually thrifty growers, and persistent in 

 the garden if foliage is allowed to ripen. They mostly 

 make offsets freely, and produce abundant seed. 



J. N. Gerard. 



INDEX. 



Grsecura, 3. 

 grandiflorum, 4, 12. 

 Heldreiehii, 5. 

 latlfolium, 13. 

 Lelievrei, 4. 

 leucophwmn, 4. 

 lingulatum, 6. 

 macrocarpum, 1. 

 major. 1. 

 majtis. 4. 



moschatum. 1. 

 monstrosum, 2, l.'i. 

 reglectum, 14. 

 pallens, 11. 

 pallidum, 4. 

 paradoxum. 7. 

 plutnosum, 2. 15. 

 polyanthum, 16. 

 racemosum. 12. 

 suaveolens, 1. 

 Szovitsianum. 10. 



album. 4. 



atrocwruleum, 15. 



Aucheri, 6. 



botryoides, 4. 



carneunif 4, 12. 



coeruleunl, 4. 



comosum, 2, l.S. 



commutatum. 15. 



compactum, 17. 



conicum. 8. 



dipcade, 1. 



flavum, 1. minor, 1. 



Subgenus I. Moscharia. Perianth 



urn-shaped, but with a relatively 



long-tubular base; segments minute, 



even for the genus, roundish, spread- 

 ing and thickened on the back 1. moschatum 



Subgenus II. Leopoi,dia. Perianth 



obovoid-urn-shaped, grooved above, 



3—4 lines long; segments triangular, 



reflexed, not thickened on the back: 



raceme loose, and longer than in the 



next. Particularly characterized by 



the conspicuous bearded appearance 



of the sterile fls 2. comostmi 



Subgenus III. Botryanthus. Peri- 

 anth more or less urn-shaped, grooved 

 or not above, 1-2 or rarely 3 lines 

 long; segments triangular, usually 

 reflexed: raceme den.se, 1-2 in. long. 

 Sterile fls. inconspicuously bearded 

 or hardly at all. 



3. Graecum 



MUSCARI 



A. Fertile fls. a little loiujer thun 

 broad, i. e., obovoid-globose. 



B. Li's. S-4: fls. 12-20 4. botryoides 



BB. Lvs. 5-6: fls. 8-12 5. Heldreiehii 



BBB. Lvs. 2S: fls. 6-10 6. linffulatum 



AA. Fertile fls. iK times as long as 

 broadf i. e., obo void -oblong. 



B. Color of fls. black-blue 7. paradoxum 



BB. Color lively dark lilac or blue. 



c. Lvs. S-4 lines broad 8. conicum 



cc. Lvs. 1-2 lines broad. 



D. Fls. violet, fragrant 9. micranthum 



DD. Fls.blue, faintly odorouslO. Szovitsianum 



BBB. Color nearly white 11. pallens 



AAA. Fertile fls. twice as long as 



broad, i. €., obovoid-cylindricnl . 



B. Lvs. almost cylindrical {snh- 



terete) 12. racemosum 



BB. Lvs. oblanceolate 13. latifolium 



BBB. Lvs. lorate, i.e., strap-shaped. li. neglectum 



1,'j. commutatum 

 1(1. polyanthum 

 17. compactum 



1. mOBChitum, Willd. {M. suaveolens.Fi^ch.). Musk 

 Hyacinth. Lvs. 5-6, 1 ft. long, %-% in. wide: raceme 

 loose, 1-3 in. long: fls. 20-50, blue. Asia Minor. B.M. 

 734. Gn. 20, p. 137.-Has the odor of musk. Vars. mk- 

 jor and minor are advertised. M. dipcade major and 

 minor have appeared in the catalogue of J. M. Thorburn 

 & Co. since 1878. hut these names are not in Index 

 Kewensis. Thorburn & Co. write that this is the Nut- 

 meg or Musk Hviiciutli, .Uiis.uiri moschatum, and that 

 M.dij),;i,lr still appears in Dut.'h catalogues. 



Var. flavum, Lam. {M. flilvtim, Van Tubergen. M. 

 macrocarpum. Sweet). Fls. yellowish (Van 'Tubergen 

 says clear yellow). B.M. 1565. 



2. comfisum, Mill. Fig. 1437. Lvs. 3-4, 1-1% ft. long, 

 li-\ in. wide: raceme loose, 6-12 in. long, 40-100-fld.: 

 lower fls. fertile, olive, tipped brown; borne on long hori- 

 zontal pedicels: upper fls. sterile, blue or violet, borne 

 on long up-curved pedicels, making a corymbose cluster. 

 Mediterranean region, Orient. 



B M. 133 (as Hyacinthus co- 

 mos us). —An interesting form , 

 but rare in cult., being great- 

 ly surpassed in popularity by 



Var. monstrdsum, Hort. 

 Feathered Hyaiinth. Fig. 

 1438. All the Hs. sterile, and 

 cut up into fine shreds. Gng. 

 7:290. A. F. 14:1286. Gn. 26, 

 p. 137. —A charming and novel 

 plant. Also called Fair-haired 

 or Tasseled Hyacinth, and 

 Shredded Lilac. Sold also as 

 M. monstrosum, M. plumo- 

 siim, M. pluniosnm monstro- 

 sum, etc. For other trade syn- 

 onyms, see under M. comma - 

 latum. 



3. Grfflcum, Heldr. Differs 

 from M. comosum in having 

 its sterile fls. in a short, 

 dense, conical spike, the pedi- 

 cels of which are very short. 

 Greece. 



1437. Muscari comosum, 



(Adapted from Botanical 



Magazine.) 



4. botryoides, Mill. Com- 

 mon Grape Hyacinth. Fig. 

 1439. Lvs. linear-lorate, 3-4 



lines wide: scape 6-9 in. long: fls. pale blue, odorless. 

 Eu., Orient. B.M. 1.'.7 (as Huacinlhus bolriioides). A. 

 F. 13:1197. Gn. 26:4."i:i. R.K. 20:3. -The following va- 

 rieties are offered: allium, carneum, arruleum, teuco 

 phitum, Ijclievrei, majus, pallidum and pallidum 

 grandiflorum. These range from white through flesh- 

 color to sky-blue. 



5 Heldreiehii, Boiss. Lvs. linear-flliform, subterete, 

 IS lines wide: scape 4-6 in. long: fls. amethyst-colored, 

 with conspicuous white teeth. Greece. Gn. 26:453. 



