Home › S › Scilla (Old Greek name used)

Scilla (Old Greek name used)

(the old Greek name used by Hippocrates). Squill; Wild Hyacinth. Including Barnardia and Ledebouria. ORD. Liliaceae. A genus embracing nearly eighty species of stove, greenhouse, or hardy bulbous plants, natives of Europe, temperate and mountainous Asia, and extra-tropical, or the mountains of tropical, Africa, with one from Chili. Flowers small or mediocre, racemose, on articulated pedicels; perianth blue, rose, or purplish, persistent for some time; segments nearly equal, distinct or very shortly connate towards the base, spreading, or rarely campanulate-connivent at base, one-nerved; stamens six, affixed at the base or below the middle of the segments; bracts small; racemes sometimes elongated and many-flowered, sometimes reduced to two or three, occasionally nearly corymbiform; scape simple, leafless. Leaves radical, linear, loriform, oblong, or nearly ovate. Bulb tunicated. S. autumnalis, S. nutans, and S. verna, are natives of Britain. Hardy Scillas are amongst the most beautiful of spring-flowering bulbous plants. They succeed in ordinary garden soil, and require to be planted in early autumn when the bulbs are resting. S. sibirica is also well suited for culture in pots; but these must be kept in a cold house or frame, and not subjected to heat. The greenhouse species succeed in sandy loam, and in pots 5in. in diameter, along with other Cape bulbs, in a cool greenhouse. Propagated by seeds, when obtainable, which is, however, a very slow process; and by offsets. The selection of species given below includes the most popular and beautiful. Most of the descriptions are translated from Mr. Baker's admirable Monograph of the genus, which appeared in the "Journal of the Linnean Society," vol. xiii. The leaves, except where otherwise stated, are cotemporary with the flowers.

S. amoena (pleasing).* Star Hyacinth. fl., perianth blue, rarely whitish, five to six lines long, the segments lanceolate; pedicels ascending 1/2in. to 3/4in. long; raceme loosely three to six-flowered, 1in to 3in. long; scape weak, 4in. to 6in. long. March. l. four or five, flaccid, lorate, ascending, glabrous, 6in. to 9in. long, 1/3in. to 2/3in. broad. Austria, Germany, &c., 1596. Hardy. (B. M. 341; J.F.A. 218; L.B.C. 1015.) S. a. sibirica (Siberian). A synonym of S. sibirica. S. amoenula (rather pretty). A synonym of S. sibirica. S. autumnalis (autumnal). fl., perianth reddish-purple, 1/2in. in diameter; pedicels ascending or spreading; racemes short; scapes several, equalling the leaves. July to September. l. autumnal, succeeding the flowers, narrow, 3in. to 6in. long, halfterete, grooved above. Europe (Britain), North Africa. Hardy. (B.M. 919; Sy. En. B. 1526.) The form iaponica has beautiful rose-coloured flowers.

S. Bertheloti (Berthelot's). fl., perianth pale lilac, campanulate, one line long; pedicels ascending, as long as the perianth; raceme twelve to twenty-flowered, 1in. to 2in. long; scape slender, 6in. to 8in. long. April. l. five or six, slender, spreading, lorate, 6in. to 12in. long, 1/2in. to 3/4in. broad, long-attenuated. Tropical Africa, 1862. Greenhouse. (B.M.5308.) S.bifolia (two-leaved).* fl., perianth blue, sometimes reddish or whitish, four to five lines long, the segments spreading; pedicels ascending, 1/2in. to 1in. long; raceme deltoid, three to eight-flowered, 1in. to 1 1/2in. broad; scape solitary, 3in. to 6in. long. March. l. usually two, opposite, narrowed at apex, cucullate, 4in. to 8in. long, 1/3in. to 1/2in. broad, concave on the face. Mediterranean region, &c. Hardy. (B.M. 746; J.F.A. 117.) S. b. praecox (early). fl. ten to fifteen, appearing earlier than those of the type, rather large; pedicels 1in. to 1 1/2in. long. l. thicker and broader. A robust form. (S.B.F.G. ser. ii. 14, under name of S. praecox.) S. rosea is a sub-variety of this, with reddish flowers.

S. b. taurica (Taurian). l. usually three or four. Tauria. (R.G. 307.) S. campanulata (bell-shaped). A synonym of S. hispanica. S. chinensis (Chinese).* fl., perianth rose-purple, one line long; bracts whitish, minute; pedicels ascending, about 1/8in. long, the lower ones often twin; raceme somewhat dense, twenty to sixty-flowered, 1in. to 2in. long; scape slender, straight, 1ft. or more long. June, l. two or three, equalling or exceeding the scape, rather hard, acute, channelled down the face. China, 1826. Half-hardy. SYN. Barnardia scilloides (B.M. 3788; B.R. 1029). S. concinna (neat). fl., perianth rose-purple within, oblong-cam-panulate, 1/5in. long; pedicels all erecto-patent, four to five lines long; raceme dense, twenty to thirty-flowered, oblong, 1 1/2in. to 2in. long; scape firm, erect, terete, 2in. to 6in. long. Spring. l. three or four, nearly erect, linear, 8in. to 9in. long, 1/2in. to 3/4in. broad, profusely purple-spotted at back. South Africa, 1862. Greenhouse. (Ref. B. 235.) S. concolor (one-coloured). fl., perianth greenish, rounded, campanulate, about 1/5in. long; pedicels two to four lines long, the lower ones drooping; racemes dense, thirty to fifty-flowered, oblong-cylindrical, 3in. to 4in. long; scapes one to three, flexuous, 3in. to 4in. long. Spring. l. five or six, falcate, ligulate-lanceolate, 5in. to 8in. long, 1 1/4in. to 1 1/2in. broad, obtuse or subacute, very slightly narrowed at base, unspotted. South Africa, 1862. Greenhouse. SYN. Drimia Cooperi (Ref. B.18). S. Cooperi (Cooper's). fl., perianth bright purple, drooping, campanulate, 1/8in. long, the divisions reflexed from half-way down when expanded; pedicels 3/8in. to 1/2in. long, spreading, or the lowest slightly nodding; raceme moderately dense, thirty to fifty-flowered, 2in. to 3in. long, 1in. broad; scape firm, erect, 4in. to 5in. long. Spring. l. four or five, ascending, 10in. to 12in. long, 1/2in. to 3/4in. wide, green, streaked and spotted with purple on the back downwards. Cape of Good Hope, 1866. Greenhouse. (B.M.5580.) S. Cupani (Cupani's). fl., perianth blue, 1/4in. long, the segments oblong-obtuse; bracts whitish, slightly ciliated, 1/2in. to 3/4in. long; pedicels ascending, 1in. to 2in. long; raceme loosely six to twelve-flowered, sub-corymbose or deltoid, 1 1/2in. to 2in. long and broad; scape slender, flexuous, 3in. to 6in. long. June. l. six to eight, lorate-lanceolate, spreading, 3in. to 4in. long, six to eight lines broad, the margins pellucid and minutely ciliated. Sicily, 1834. Hardy. (B.R. 1878.) S. floribunda (bundle-flowered). fl., perianth greenish without, rose-purple within; pedicels six to eight lines long, the central ones spreading, the lower ones drooping; raceme rather dense, containing sixty to a hundred or more flowers, 6in. to 8in. long, 2in. broad; scape erect, 6in. to 9in. long.