Mediterranean Bulb ______
Scilla peruviana, the Portuguese squill, is a species of Scilla native to the western Mediterranean region. Scilla has most recently been classified as belonging to the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae; that subfamily was formerly treated as a separate family, Hyacinthaceae. Prior to that it was placed in the tribe Hyacintheae of the family Liliaceae
It is a bulb-bearing herbaceous perennial plant. The bulb is 6–8 cm in diameter, white with a covering of brown scales. The leaves are linear, 20–60 cm long and 1–4 cm broad, with 5-15 leaves produced each spring. The flowering stem is 15–40 cm tall, bearing a dense pyramidal raceme of 40-100 flowers; each flower is blue, 1–2 cm in diameter, with six tepals. The foliage dies down in summer, re-appearing in the autumn.
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A botanical Plate from Hortus Eystettensis, the Garden of Eichstatt, Basilius Besler (1561-1629) (after) Wolfgang Kilian (1581-1662) et al. (engravers), Nuremberg: 1613. Hyacinthus stellatus peruanus renamed Portuguese squill (Scilla peruviana) The name Scillia peruviana is deceptive, as the profusely flowering plant originated not from Peru but from the Iberian Peninsula, the Mediterranean region and the Canary islands. It was the famous botanist Carolus Clusius who was the actual originator of this misunderstanding. When staying in bristol in 1591 looking for new plants, he enquired about Scilla, among others, and learnt that the plant had arrived there only recently on a ship called Peru. As a result, Clusius formulated the name Hyacinthus Stellatus Peruvianus for today's Scilla peruviana. |
The genus, Scilla has about 50 to 80 species of bulb-forming perennial herbaceous plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. Sometimes called the squills in English, they are native to woodlands, subalpine meadows, and seashores throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East. A few species are also naturalized in Australia, New Zealand and North America. Their flowers are usually blue, but white, pink, and purple types are known; most flower in early spring, but a few are autumn-flowering. Several Scilla species are valued as ornamental garden plants.
Order | Asparagales
FLOWER COLOR.
Purple
REFERENCES
The Garden at Eichstätt.” Taschen
ITIS.
National PLANTS Database
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