Hyacinthus orientalis (
Common Hyacinth,
Garden Hyacinth or
Dutch Hyacinth), is a perennial
flowering plantThe flowering plants or angiosperms are the most diverse group of land plants. The flowering plants and the gymnosperms are the only extant groups of seed plants...
of the genus
Hyacinthus, native to southwestern
AsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.6% of the earth's total surface area and with approximately 4 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population.Asia is traditionally defined as part of the...
, in southern and central
TurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey
, is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe...
, northwestern
SyriaSyria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south and Israel to the southwest....
and
LebanonLebanon , officially the Republic of Lebanon
[Republic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies...]
. It was introduced to Europe in the 16th century.
It is a
bulbA bulb is an underground vertical shoot that has modified leaves that are used as food storage organs by a dormant plant....
plant, with a 3-7 cm diameter bulb. The
leavesIn botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat and thin. There is continued debate about whether the flatness of leaves evolved to expose the chloroplasts to more light or to increase the absorption of carbon dioxide. In...
are strap-shaped, 15-35 cm long and 1-3 cm broad, with a soft, succulent texture, and produced in a basal whorl.
Hyacinthus orientalis (
Common Hyacinth,
Garden Hyacinth or
Dutch Hyacinth), is a perennial
flowering plantThe flowering plants or angiosperms are the most diverse group of land plants. The flowering plants and the gymnosperms are the only extant groups of seed plants...
of the genus
Hyacinthus, native to southwestern
AsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.6% of the earth's total surface area and with approximately 4 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population.Asia is traditionally defined as part of the...
, in southern and central
TurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey
, is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe...
, northwestern
SyriaSyria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south and Israel to the southwest....
and
LebanonLebanon , officially the Republic of Lebanon
[Republic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies...]
. It was introduced to Europe in the 16th century.
It is a
bulbA bulb is an underground vertical shoot that has modified leaves that are used as food storage organs by a dormant plant....
plant, with a 3-7 cm diameter bulb. The
leavesIn botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat and thin. There is continued debate about whether the flatness of leaves evolved to expose the chloroplasts to more light or to increase the absorption of carbon dioxide. In...
are strap-shaped, 15-35 cm long and 1-3 cm broad, with a soft, succulent texture, and produced in a basal whorl. The flowering stem grows to 20-35 cm (rarely to 45 cm) tall, bearing a spike of 2-50 fragrant purple
flowerA flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds...
s 2-3.5 cm long with a tubular, six-lobed perianth.
In
Greek mythologyGreek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
, Hyakinthos was a young man admired by
ApolloIn Greek and Roman mythology, Apollo , is one of the most important and many-sided of the Olympian deities...
and Zephyr, but killed by a
discusDiscus may refer to:*Distilled Spirits Council of the United States , the national trade association representing producers and marketers of distilled spirits sold in the United States*Discus , a genus of snails in the family Discidae...
in a jealous fight between the two gods. The flower was allegedly named after him when it sprang from his blood.
Reproduction
The reproduction of the plant in cultivation can be done easily by dividing the newly appeared bulbs from the main plant. In the nature, this method is also used by the Hyacinth but the plant has also specific kind of reproduction by seeds.
The plant is pollinated by different insects such as honey bees. The flowers are very fragrant and attract the insects as rewarding them with nectar.
After flowering the ripening of the seed capsules begins. They are fleshy and spherical structures. When the capsules reach maturity, they get dried and split apart on three parts. Every part has two subdivisions and contains different quantity of seeds. The seeds are black grains with one white
elaiosomeElaiosomes are fleshy structures that are attached to the seeds of many plant species. The elaiosome is rich in lipids and proteins, and may be variously shaped. Many plants have elaiosomes to attract ants, which take the seed to their nest and feed the elaiosome to their larvae...
which size can vary. As it looks since the seeds have such structure, they are dispersed through
myrmecochoryMyrmecochory is a botanical term for "seed dispersal by ants".Myrmecochory is a dispersal syndrome, such as the diverse pollination syndromes seen in nature. Myrmecochory occurs in several parts of the world with over 3,000 plants that specifically attract ants as the dispersal agent. Plants...
. Ants find the seeds and take them into their burrows where they use the
elaiosomeElaiosomes are fleshy structures that are attached to the seeds of many plant species. The elaiosome is rich in lipids and proteins, and may be variously shaped. Many plants have elaiosomes to attract ants, which take the seed to their nest and feed the elaiosome to their larvae...
for food. There the seeds can germinate.
Cultivation
It has a long history of cultivation as an
ornamental plantOrnamental plants are typically grown in the flower garden or as house plants. Most commonly they are grown for the display of their flowers. Other common ornamental features include leaves, scent, fruit, stem and bark. In some cases, unusual features may be considered ornamental, such as the...
, grown across the Mediterranean region, and later
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
(where it is used in perfumery), the
NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
(a major centre of cultivation) and elsewhere.
The Garden Hyacinth flowers in the early spring. They grow best in full sun to part shade in well-drained, but not dry,
soilSoil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics. It is composed of particles of broken rock that have been altered by chemical and...
. It requires a winter dormancy period, and will only persist in cold-weather regions. It is grown for the clusters of fragrant, brightly-coloured
flowerA flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds...
s. Over 2,000
cultivarA cultivar is a cultivated plant that has been selected and given a unique name because of desired characteristics; it is usually distinct from similar plants and when propagated it retains those characteristics....
s have been selected and named, with flower colour varying from blue, white, pale yellow, pink, red or purple; most cultivars have also been selected for denser flower spikes than the wild type, bearing 40-100 or more flowers on each spike.
H. orientalis contains
alkaloidAlkaloids are naturally occurring chemical compounds containing basic nitrogen atoms. The name derives from the word alkaline and was used to describe any nitrogen-containing base. Alkaloids are produced by a large variety of organisms, including bacteria, fungi, plants, and animals and are part of...
s and is toxic if eaten in large quantities. The
bulbA bulb is an underground vertical shoot that has modified leaves that are used as food storage organs by a dormant plant....
, however, is the most poisonous part and should not be ingested under any circumstances.