Hyacinthella


Hyacinthella is a genus of bulbous flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. It is native to eastern and south-eastern Europe through to northern Iran, reaching as far south as Palestine. Turkey is the main country in which species are found.

Description

Hyacinthella species grow from bulbs whose tunics often bear powdery white crystals. There are usually two or three basal leaves with prominent strands of fibre. The inflorescences consist of short spikes of tubular flowers, each with six short lobes, in colours ranging from pale blue to deep violet. Heights vary from about to, depending on the species. They grow in rocky habitats, such as hillsides, which are hot and dry in the summer.

Species

, the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families accepted 17 species:
  1. Hyacinthella acutiloba K.Perss. & Wendelbo - Turkey
  2. Hyacinthella atropatana Mordak & Zakhar. - Transcaucasus
  3. Hyacinthella campanulata K.Perss. & Wendelbo - Turkey
  4. Hyacinthella dalmatica Chouard - Croatia
  5. Hyacinthella glabrescens K.Perss. & Wendelbo - Turkey
  6. Hyacinthella heldreichii Chouard - Turkey
  7. Hyacinthella hispida Chouard - Turkey
  8. Hyacinthella lazulina K.Perss.& Jim.Perss. - Turkey
  9. Hyacinthella leucophaea Schur - Balkans, Russia, Ukraine
  10. Hyacinthella lineata Chouard - Turkey
  11. Hyacinthella micrantha Chouard - Turkey
  12. Hyacinthella millingenii Feinbrun - Turkey, Cyprus
  13. Hyacinthella nervosa Chouard - Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, Jordan
  14. Hyacinthella pallasiana Losinsk. - Russia, Ukraine
  15. Hyacinthella persica Chouard - Iran
  16. Hyacinthella siirtensis B.Mathew - Turkey
  17. Hyacinthella venusta K.Perss. - Turkey

    Cultivation

Some species are in cultivation, where they require a dry summer rest and are not suitable for growing in the open garden in areas with cooler, wetter summers.