Muscari latifolium, the broad-leaved grape hyacinth, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae. The Latin specific epithet latifolium means "broad-leaved".[1]

Muscari latifolium
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Asparagaceae
Subfamily:	Scilloideae
Genus:	Muscari
Species:	M. latifolium
Binomial name
Muscari latifolium J. Kirk

Description

It is a bulbous perennial geophyte, reaching a height of 15–40 cm (6–16 in), rarely 50 cm (20 in). There are usually one, rarely two leaves present. These are 7–30 cm (3–12 in) long and 1 to 3 cm wide, upright, wide and linear to ovate-lanceolate. They are drawn together and often hood-shaped. The flower stem is slightly longer than the leaves. The inflorescence is a raceme 2 to 6 centimeters long and 1.5 centimeters wide. The fertile flowers at the base are 5 to 6 mm long and 3 mm wide, oblong-shaped and a deep purple colour. The sterile flowers at the top are 4–8 mm long and pale lilac or blue. The flowering period extends from April to May in the Northern Hemisphere. [2]

Distribution

M. latifolium is found in southern and western Turkey, adjacent to sparse pine forests at altitudes from 1,100–1,800 m (3,609–5,906 ft).

Cultivation

Widely used as an ornamental plant in flower beds, M. latifolium is hardy to USDA Zone 5,[2] and in the British Isles and all of Europe down to −20 °C (−4 °F). It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[3][4]

References

Bibliography

• Eckehardt J. Jäger, Friedrich Ebel, Peter Hanelt, Gerd K. Müller (eds.): Rothmaler Exkursionsflora von Deutschland. Band 5: Krautige Zier- und Nutzpflanzen. Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg 2008, ISBN 978-3-8274-0918-8.
• Mathew, Brian (1987), The Smaller Bulbs, London: B.T. Batsford, ISBN 978-0-7134-4922-8, pp. 124–130
• Pacific Bulb Society

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