2 BULLETIN 1327, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
The plants are natives of the Mediterranean region of Europe, 
Asia, Africa, and eastward. They are early spring-flowering bulbs, 
blossoming from March to May. The prevailing colors are blue 
and shades of purple, particularly attractive in their season. 
SOURCES OF SUPPLY 
In some sections, particularly in the South, some of the older 
varieties of grape hyacinths have become naturalized under con- 
ditions that appear to assure clean, healthy stock, and these may 
become valuable as sources of propagating material. Forms of 
Muscari hotri/oides and a dark-colored very old variety are com- 
monly seen scattered as weeds in cultivated fields and sometimes 
found naturalized in matted clumps in old gardens. These varieties 
are likely to be inferior to those now offered for sale. Owing to 
their prolific habits, a few thousand bulbs from such sources would 
produce commercial quantities very rapidly. For any of the named 
varieties in commercial quantities at the present time the prospective 
grower will be dependent upon imported stocks. 
USES OF THE PLANTS 
In general these species of grape hyacinths have been looked upon 
in this country as garden decorations and not as florist stocks. They 
have been used in herbaceous borders, edgings, and other permanent 
and semipermanent locations and are well adapted to naturalizing 
in grassy areas, in the edges of woodlands, borders of shrubbery, 
and similar situations. A few growers, particularly on the Pacific 
coast, are finding ready sale for the flowers, which when supplied 
with some added green or in combinations are decidedly deco- 
rative. 
The main difficulty with the group for use as cut flowers is the 
shortness of stems. When, however, the plants are grown under 
conditions of good fertility, good culture, slight shade, and proper 
degree of crowding 10 to 12 inches of stem is easily possible, in 
such species as Muscari conicvmi especially. When grown in this 
way they are useful not only in simple bouquets with greens from 
some other source but also in wreaths and compound pieces gen- 
erally. The yield is well-nigh phenomenal, so that the erection of 
a temporary shade to lengthen the stem is not a serious matter. 
There is illustrated in Plate I, Figure 1, an average of 100 flower 
spikes to the 3-foot row with rows 6 inches apart. A temporary 
shade here would be practicable. 
VARIETIES AND THEIR COMMERCIAL APPLICATION 
The literature contains upwards of 40 names applied to species 
and varieties of this genus of plants. Modern Dutch lists vary 
widely in the diversity of material which they offer. The most 
complete catalogues contain about 15 species and varieties, while 
(lie dealers who do not specialize in collections but offer those 
varieties most in demand list only about six. A half dozen varieties 
will iill ordinary requirements in the group. The others can well 
