''Muscari aucheri'', Aucher-Éloy grape hyacinth, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the squill subfamily Scilloideae of the asparagus

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Asparagaceae. It is a

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wid ...

bulbous plant, one of a number of species and genera known as grape hyacinths. Originally from

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

, where it grows in grassy alpine areas, it is sometimes grown as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that ...

. The synonym ''M. tubergenianum'' (also spelt ''M. tubergianum'') may be found in the horticultural literature., p. 126 The Latin specific epithet ''aucheri'' honours the French pharmacist and botanist Pierre Martin Rémi Aucher-Éloy (1792-1838) (one of numerous plants named for him).

Description

''M. aucheri'' is usually less than tall, although taller forms are known. There are usually only two or three leaves per bulb, relatively wide for a muscari, which have a greyish green upper side and a hooded or boat-shaped tip. The flowers are arranged in a dense spike or raceme. The lower fertile flowers are bright blue with whitish lobes or teeth around the mouth of the more or less spherical flower; the upper sterile flowers are a paler blue or almost white.

Cultivation

In cultivation it is said to be easy to grow but not to increase very rapidly. The plant sold under the name ''M. tubergenianum'' is more robust than the wild form, or possibly a hybrid. This plant has gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...

’s Award of Garden Merit. Numerous cultivars are available, such as 'Blue Magic', 'White Magic', 'Mount Hood' and 'Dark Eyes' (the last has also been listed as a cultivar of ''M. armeniacum'' or ''M. botryoides'').

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q758607 aucheri Plants described in 1844 Taxa named by John Gilbert Baker Taxa named by Pierre Edmond Boissier