2080 



MUSCARI (Latin name referring to the musky odor 

 of M. moschatum). Lilidcese. GRAPE HYACINTH. 

 Excellent hardy spring-blooming bulbs. 



Flowers in racemes or spikes; perianth urn-shaped, 

 slightly or distinctly constricted at mouth; segms. 

 6-dentate, commonly reflexed; stamens in a double 

 cylindrical tube; ovary 3-celled, sessile, globose- 

 trigonal: caps, sessile, globose; seeds subglobose, 

 black, glistening: bulbs membranous, tunicated. 

 About 45 species in Sicily, Algeria, European Medit., 

 Spain, Asia Minor, and the Orient. All grape hya- 

 cinths are very much alike and are very interesting, 

 botanically, horticulturally and from the artistic point 

 of view. The group needs botanical revision badly. 

 The chief 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.) They 

 are something like a hyacinth, but the clusters are 

 smaller, and the individual fls. are smaller and of differ- 

 ent shape, the grape hyacinths being constricted at 

 the mouth and having 6 small teeth instead of the 

 prominent perianth-segms., as in the true hyacinth. 



The common grape hyacinth, which every garden 

 lover knows, is called M. botryoides, which means "like 

 a bunch of 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 fancier's plants, interesting chiefly 

 to skilled amateurs. Among them the most remarkable 

 is the feathered hyacinth (M. comosum var. mon- 

 strosum), which is a mass of lilac shreds (see Fig. 2404). 

 Any species of Muscari is likely to have some sterile 

 flowers 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 flowers all being cut into fine strips. This attrac- 

 tive plant has been sold for fancy prices by a few pro- 

 gressive florists. 



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 different 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 dis- 

 covered in catalogues. 

 M. Szovitsianum, one of 

 the true blue forms, is 

 quite the prettiest of 

 the genus. The plant 

 known to the trade as 

 M. lingulatum, or Hya- 

 cinthus azureus, has the 

 true blue of M. Szovit- 

 sianum, and is fully a 

 month earlier. The usual 

 forms grown in gardens 

 are mostly blue (purple) 

 and white forms of M. 

 botryoides. M. conicum 

 is very dark. The Dutch 

 catalogues offer numer- 

 ous kinds to suit ama- 

 teurs and differing con- 

 ditions. Muscari offer no 

 difficulties in cultivation. 

 A medium soil perhaps 

 suits them best, but 



2404. Muscari comosum var. they are usually thrifty 

 monstrosum. 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. 



Subgenus I. MOSCHARIA. Perianth urn-shaped, but 

 with a relatively long-tubular base; segms. minute, 

 even for the genus, roundish, spreading and 

 thickened on the back. 



1. moschatum, Willd. (M. suaveolens, Fisch.). 

 MUSK or NUTMEG HYACINTH. Lys. 5-6, 1 ft. long, 

 J^-^in. wide: raceme loose, 1-3 in. long; fls. 20-50, 

 blue. Asia Minor. B.M. 734. Gn. 26, p. 137. Has the 

 odor of musk. Seems to enjoy a warm dry border where 

 bulbs mature properly. Sometimes fails to bloom after 

 first year. Vars. major and minor are advertised. M. 

 dipcadi major and minor have appeared in the cata- 

 logues since 1878, but these names have no botanical 

 standing and represent cultural forms, of which there 

 are several. 



Var. flavum, Lam. (M. flavum, Van Tubergen. M. 

 macrocdrpum, Sweet). Fls. yellowish (Van Tubergen 

 says clear yellow). B.M. 1565. 



Subgenus II. LEOPOLDIA. Perianth obovoid-urn- 

 shaped, grooved above, 3-^ lines long; segms. 

 triangular, reflexed, not thickened on the back: 

 raceme loose, and longer than in the next. Par- 

 ticularly characterized by the conspicuous bearded 

 appearance of the sterile fls. 



2. comdsum, Mill. Lvs. 3-4, 1-1 ^ ft. long, Y^-\ in. 

 wide: raceme loose, 6-12 in. long, 40-100-fld.; lower fls. 

 fertile, olive, tipped brown, borne on long horizontal 

 pedicels; upper fls. sterile, blue or violet, borne on 

 long upcurved pedicels, making a corymbose cluster. 

 Medit. region, Orient. B.M. 133 (as Hyacinthus como- 

 sus). An interesting form, but rare in cult., being 

 greatly surpassed in popularity by var. monstrosum. 



Var. monstrdsum, Hort. FEATHERED HYACINTH. 

 Fig. 2404. All the fls. sterile, and cut up into fine shreds. 

 Gng. 7:290. A.F. 14:1286. Gn. 26, p. 137. A most 

 interesting plant. Also called fair-haired or tasseled 

 hyacinth, and shredded lilac. Sold also as M. mon- 

 strosum, M. plumosum, M. plumosum monstrosum, etc. 

 For other trade synonyms, see under M. commutatum. 



3. graecum, Heldr. Differs from M. comosum in 

 having its sterile fls. in a short, dense, conical spike, the 

 pedicels of which are very short. Greece. 



Subgenus III. BOTRYANTHUS. Perianth more or less 

 urn-shaped, grooved or not above, 1-2 or rarely 

 3 lines long; segms. triangular, usually reflexed: 

 raceme dense, 1-2 in. long. Sterile fls. inconspicu- 

 ously bearded or hardly at all. 



A. Fertile fls. a little longer than broad, obovoid-globose. 

 B. Lvs. 3-4: fls. 12-20. 



4. botryoides, Mill. COMMON GRAPE HYACINTH. 

 Fig. 2405. Lvs. linear-lorate, 3-4 lines wide: scape 

 6-9 in. long; fls. pale blue, odorless, 12-20. Eu., 

 Orient. B.M. 157 (as Hyacinthus botryoides). A.F. 

 13:1197. Gn. 26:136. R.B. 20:3. Gn.M. 2:117 

 The following varieties are offered: album (G.M. 51: 

 694. G. 27:235. Gn. 76, p. 106. Gn.W. 22:331. J.H. 

 III. 58:464), carneum, cseruleum, leucophseum, Lelievrei, 



