grape hyacinth

''Muscari'' is a genus of perennial bulbous plants native to Eurasia that produce spikes of dense, most commonly blue, urn-shaped flowers resembling bunches of grapes in the spring. The common name for the genus is grape hyacinth (a name which is also used for the related genera ''Leopoldia'' and '' Pseudomuscari'', which were formerly included in ''Muscari''), but they should not be confused with hyacinths. A number of species of ''Muscari'' are used as ornamental garden plants.

Description

The genus ''Muscari'' originated in the Old World, including the Mediterranean basin, central and Southern Europe, northern Africa, western, central and south-western Asia. It has become naturalized elsewhere, including Northern Europe and the United States.

Brian Mathew says that many species of grape hyacinths, including not only ''Muscari'' but also the related ''Leopoldia'' and '' Pseudomuscari'', are difficult to distinguish., pp. 124–130 They usually have one or more narrow leaves which arise from a bulb. The flowers appear in the spring and form a spike or raceme, being held in a close or loose spiral around a central stalk. The flowers often become less tightly spaced as the flower matures. The flower colour varies from pale blue to a very dark blue, almost black in some cases (albino forms are also known). In some species, the upper flowers may be of a different colour and shape to the lower flowers. Individual flowers are composed of six fused tepals forming a spherical to obovoid shape, constricted at the end to form a mouth around which the ends of the tepals show as small lobes or "teeth", which may be of a different colour to the rest of the tepal.

Taxonomy

The use of ''muscari'' as part of the name of at least some of the species included in the modern genus can be traced back to Carolus Clusius in 1601, long before the modern rules of botanical nomenclature were established. In 1753, Carl Linnaeus used the name ''Hyacinthus muscari'' for the plant now called '' Muscari racemosum''., search for "Muscari racemosum" In 1754, Philip Miller formally established the genus ''Muscari'' according to modern rules of nomenclature. The name ''muscari'' comes from the Greek ', musk, referring to the scent.

Classified in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, the genus was formerly placed in the Liliaceae as a member of the tribe Hyacintheae. There are about forty species. The genus was at one time divided into four groups or subgenera: Botryanthus, Pseudomuscari, Leopoldia and Muscarimia. '' Pseudomuscari'' and ''Leopoldia'' are now treated as separate genera., search for "Pseudomuscari" or "Leopoldia" The genus ''Muscari'' is now more or less equivalent to the Botryanthus group.

A complication in splitting up the broad genus is that Miller's original ''Muscari'' included representatives of at least three of the new genera. Which one should retain the name ''Muscari'' would normally be decided by where the type species was placed; however, Miller did not designate a type species, although the etymology of the genus name points to the species Linnaeus called ''Hyacinthus muscari'' (now ''Muscari racemosum'').

The Muscarimia group are retained in ''Muscari'' by the Kew ''World Checklist of Selected Plant Families''. Two species have been placed in this group: ''M. macrocarpum'' and ''M. racemosum'' (under the name ''M. muscarimi'').

Species

, the ''World Checklist of Selected Plant Families'' accepts 42 species:, search for "Muscari"

* '' Muscari adilii'' M.B.Güner & H.Duman
* '' Muscari albiflorum'' (Täckh. & Boulos) Hosni
* '' Muscari alpanicum'' Schchian
* '' Muscari anatolicum'' Cowley & Özhatay
* ''Muscari armeniacum'' Leichtlin ex Baker
* '' Muscari aucheri'' (Boiss.) Baker
* '' Muscari babachii'' Eker & Koyuncu
* '' Muscari baeticum'' Blanca
* '' Muscari botryoides'' (L.) Mill.
* '' Muscari bourgaei'' Baker
* '' Muscari cazorlanum'' C.Soriano & al.
* '' Muscari commutatum'' Guss.
* '' Muscari discolor'' Boiss. & Hausskn.
* '' Muscari dolichanthum'' Woronow & Tron
* '' Muscari fertile'' Ravenna
* '' Muscari filiforme'' Ravenna
* '' Muscari hermonense'' Ravenna
* '' Muscari hierosolymitanum'' Ravenna
* '' Muscari kerkis'' Karlén
* '' Muscari kurdicum'' Maroofi
* '' Muscari latifolium'' J.Kirk.
* '' Muscari lazulinum'' Ravenna
* '' Muscari longistylum'' (Täckh. & Boulos) Hosni
* '' Muscari macbeathianum'' Kit Tan
* '' Muscari macrocarpum'' Sweet
* '' Muscari massayanum'' C.Grunert
* '' Muscari matritensis'' Ruíz Rejón & al.
* '' Muscari microstomum'' P.H.Davis & D.C.Stuart
* '' Muscari mirum'' Speta
* '' Muscari neglectum'' Guss. ex Ten. yn. ''Muscari racemosum'' (L.) Medik. nom. illeg.* '' Muscari olivetorum'' Blanca
* '' Muscari parviflorum'' Desf.
* '' Muscari pulchellum'' Heldr. & Sart.
* '' Muscari racemosum'' Mill. yn. ''Muscari muscarimi'' Medik. nom. illeg., ''Muscarimia muscari'' (L.) Losinsk., ''Muscari moschatum'' Willd.* '' Muscari salah-eidii'' (Täckh. & Boulos) Hosni
* '' Muscari sandrasicum'' Karlén
* '' Muscari sivrihisardaghlarensis'' Yild. & B.Selvi
* '' Muscari spreizenhoferi'' (Heldr. ex Osterm.) H.R.Wehrh.
* '' Muscari stenanthum'' Freyn
* '' Muscari tavoricum'' Ravenna
* '' Muscari turcicum'' Uysal et al.
* '' Muscari vuralii'' Bagci & Dogu

The names of some of the species are somewhat confused, especially in the horticultural literature. Thus the name ''M. racemosum'' is commonly found as an incorrect synonym for ''M. neglectum'', with ''M. muscarimi'' or ''M. moschatum'' being used for the true ''M. racemosum''. ''Muscari fatmacereniae'' was recently described from Turkey.

Species now allocated to other genera

* ''Muscari azureum'' Fenzl, see '' Pseudomuscari azureum'' (Fenzl) Garbari & Greuter
* ''Muscari comosum'' (L.) Mill., see '' Leopoldia comosa'' (L.) Parl.
* ''Muscari paradoxum'' (Fisch. & C.A.Mey.) K.Koch, see '' Bellevalia paradoxa'' (Fisch. & C.A.Mey.) Boiss.

Cultivation

Some species are among the earliest garden flowers to bloom in the spring. They are planted as bulbs and tend to multiply quickly (naturalise) when planted in good soils. They prefer well drained sandy soil, that is acid to neutral and not too rich. Naturally found in woodlands or meadows, they are commonly cultivated in lawns, borders, rock gardens and containers. They require little feeding or watering in the summer, and sun or light shade.

The UK National Collection of Muscari is held by Richard Hobbs at his Witton Lane garden in Little Plumstead, Norfolk, which he shares with his partner Sally Ward.

Cultivars

* ''M.'' 'Pink Surprise' was described as "new" in 2011; it has pale pink flowers – a previously unknown colour in the genus – on stems.

References

External links

M. Philippo, Muscaripages





{{Taxonbar, from=Q161151

Asparagaceae genera
Flora of Europe
Flora of temperate Asia
Garden plants of Asia
Garden plants of Europe
Taxa named by Philip Miller