1040 MUSCARI 



prominent perianth-segments, as in the true hyacinth. 

 The common Grape Hyacinth, which every garden lover 

 Itnows, is oallfd JI. bolrijoidts, which means "like a 

 bunch •.( .'r:.|" - ■■ i:vrryh..,ly wli.. li:i- any Kn.un.l f..r 

 gar.l, ■,,!-, ^•:.. ,:•: i.:r, .■ ^..,i,m Lull- ..t tin- .-oii,,,,.,,, 



kin.l.K- . - •■ I .■."■! "In..-. All th.. ntl,..rUi,i.N 



descnl.l i.b.^ :,r.. i:,„.-i,-i-,' plant ., .m.T.-M,.,:r .-h.-lly 

 to skilled amateurs. Among them the most remarkaljlc 

 is the Feathered Hyacinth (M. comosum, rar. mon- 

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

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

 sterile Us. 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 Bois.sier'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- 

 lous plants, good-sized colonies of which give dainty 

 effects in the border from February to INIay. 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 arc also a ii-w white and 

 yellow forms, and several specii-s with tin. I. In.' (lowers, 

 the rarest color among flowers, tliou^'h iliis w.nild never 

 be discovered in catalogues. .U. S .'.rilsia mnu . one of 

 the trill- liliii- foniis. is quit.- till- |.r.iiir-i ..!' tin- genus. 



Tip- l.lalit kmnvii to llh' trail. ■ a- M. I , n.j ,1 1„ I „ „, i.v St/Cl- 



Iniil i"\ullv"a i'lii.iuh .-a'l'lirr.' 'I'lir usuariwiiis yrown in 

 ganlens ai'e mo.stly Ijluu (purple) iiud wLitf forms of 

 M.botri/oides. il.oonicum 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 allo'wed to ripen. They mostly 

 make offsets freely, and produce abundant seed. 



J. N. Gerard. 



album, 4. Grascun 



atroe(eTuleuin, 15. orandif, 



Anchm.S. Heldrpi 



hotryoides. 4. latifolii: 



Qoschatum. 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 



Suljgeuus 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. comosum 



3. Grsecum 



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 dense, 1-2 in. long. 

 Sterile fls. inconspicuously bearded 

 or hardly at all. 



MfSCAKI 



A. Fertile fls. a little longer than 

 broad, I. e., obovoid-tjlobosi' . 



li. Lvs..i-4: fls. lS-2b 4. botryoides 



nii. I.rs..-,-4;: fls.S-12 .-,. Heldreichii 



v.\:i:. /..,-. ..'-.J: fls. 6-10 (.. lingulatum 



.\A. r.rt,l. lis. 114 times as long as 

 hi-n,i,l. i.e., obovoid-oblong . 



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



BB. Color lively dark lilac or blic . 



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



cc. Lis. 1-S lines broad. 



D. Fls. violet, fragrant 9. micranthum 



i)D. Fls. blue, faintly odoroii.ilO. Szovitsianum 



BBB. Color nearly white II. pallens 



^AA. Ft'ftlli fls. twice as long as 

 l„o,i.l.l.,..„l,„rol,l-c!llimlncal. 



. . . 12. racemosum 

 . ..]:;. latifolium 

 '/. i I. neglectum 



1. moschatum, Will.I. i ^^. smn-rolms, Fii^ch.). MrsK 

 HVACiNTH. Lv-. ,1-1.. 1 ft. I. .11-. '..-?4 in. wide: raceme 

 loose, l-:i ill. 1..II-: 11-. 2II-.-.II. I.lii.-. Asia Minor. B.JI. 

 734. Gn. liH. ],. i:;7.-Ua,- tl,.- .j.U.r of musk. Vars. ma- 

 jor and minor are advciti.sLd. J/, dipcade ma.)or and 

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

 & Co. since 1878, but these names are not in Index 

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

 meg or Musk Hyacinth, Muscari moschatum, and that 

 M. dipcade still appears in Dutch catalogues. 



Var. fli,viun, Lam. (M. flAvum, Van Tubergen. M. 

 macrocdrpum. Sweet). Pis. yellowish (Van Tubergen 

 says clear yellow). B.M. 1565. 



a, Mill. Fig. 1437. Lvs. .3^, 1-lX ft. long, 

 K-1 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- 

 ?HO.sM.s).— An interesting form, 

 but rare in cult., being great- 

 ly surpassed in popularity by 

 Var. monstidsum, H o r t . 

 Feathered Hyacinth. Fig. 

 1438. All the fls. sterile, and 

 cut up into fine shreds. Gng. 

 7:29(1. 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. mnnstrosum, M. plumo- 

 sitm, M. plumosum monstro- 

 sum.ete. For other trade syn- 

 onvms, see under M. commu- 

 taiiim. 



Magazine.) 



a, 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. 



4. botryoides, Mill. Com- 

 mon Grape Hyacinth. Fig. 

 1439. Lvs. linear-lorate, 3-4 



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

 Ell.. Orient. B.M. 157 (as Syacinthus botryoides). A. 

 F. i:i:1197. Gn. 26:453. R.B. 20:3.-The following va- 

 rieties are offered: album, cameum, caruleum, leuco 

 phniim, Lelievrei, ma.jus, pallidum and pallidum 

 grandiflorum. These range from white through flesh- 

 color to sky-blue. 



5. H^ldreicliii, Boiss. Lvs. linear-flliform, subterete, 

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

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



