The Hyacinth Family
What are they?
The Hyacinth Family was, for many years, considered a part of a much larger lily family (Liliaceae) but more recent research has seen the creation of a number of smaller families of plants. Members of this family are not native to our region but are well-known as popular garden plants. All the species included here are bulbs, flowering in spring and generally dying down by early summer.
Identification
Plants in this group usually have long, grass-like leaves, sometimes with a pale, silvery midrib. Flower parts are typically arranged in threes and sixes, though the petals are often fused into a single tube. Though the word petal is used here in reference to the colored part of the flower, in fact, members of this group have flowers that don't have the usual sepals and petals but have a single group of parts which are normally called tepals. The tepals may be free (appearing like six petals) or fused to form a tube-shaped structure.
Common Hyacinth Hyacinthus orientalis
A popular and very common garden bulb that occasionally spreads to nearby roadsides, lawns, cemeteries and other grassy areas. Flowers March to April. Self-propagated plants are generally much smaller than the cultivated garden forms, often having just two to five flowers on the flower spike. Flowers may be any shade of pink, purple, red, violet or white.
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Hybrid Bluebell Hyacinthoides x massartiana
A popular garden bulb that occasionally spreads to nearby roadsides, lawns, cemeteries and other grassy areas. Flowers late April to May. Regularly sold in garden centers wrongly labelled as Spanish Bluebell, which has flowers held at right angle to the stem, similar to those of Common Hyacinth. Flowers may be blue, white or pink.
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Compact Grape-hyacinth Muscari botryoides
A popular and very common garden bulb that frequently spreads by means of bulbs to nearby roadsides, lawns and other grassy areas. Leaves grass-like in tight clumps. Flowers early April to May.
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bell-shaped flowers |
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Common Star-of-Bethlehem Ornithogalum umbellatum
Introduced from Europe. Occasionally found in waste areas, abandoned gardens or anywhere that garden waste has been deposited. Flowers May to June. Identified by its white petals with green reverse and its narrow, white-striped leaves; compare leaf tip with Spring Crocus in the Iris family. First flowers emerge slightly ahead of the leaves.
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Glory-of-the-snow Chionodoxa forbesii
Introduced from Europe. Grown as an ornamental spring bulb and sometimes spreading from gardens to neighboring roadsides and other grassy areas. Flowers March to April. Usually spreads to form large colonies.
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Siberian Squill Scilla siberica
Introduced from Europe. Grown as an ornamental spring bulb and sometimes spreads from gardens to neighboring roadsides and other grassy areas. Flowers March to April. Usually found as single flower spikes or just small clusters; probably not persistent.
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