Muscari aucheri
Encyclopedia
Muscari aucheri is a perennial bulbous
plant, one of a number of species and genera known as Grape Hyacinth. Originally Turkey
, where it grows in grassy alpine areas, it is sometimes grown as an ornamental plant
. The name M. tubergenianum (also spelt M. tubergianum) may be used in the horticultural literature.
M. aucheri is usually less than 10 centimetres (3.9 in) tall, although taller forms are known. There are usually only two or three leaves per bulb, relatively wide for a Muscari, which have a greyish green upper side and a hooded or boat-shaped tip. The flowers are arranged in a dense spike or raceme
. The lower fertile flowers are bright blue with whitish lobes or teeth around the mouth of the more or less spherical flower; the upper sterile flowers are a paler blue or almost white.
In cultivation it is said to be easy to grow but not to increase very rapidly. The plant sold under the name M. tubergenianum is more robust than wild form.
Bulb
A bulb is a short stem with fleshy leaves or leaf bases. The leaves often function as food storage organs during dormancy.A bulb's leaf bases, known as scales, generally do not support leaves, but contain food reserves to enable the plant to survive adverse conditions. At the center of the bulb is...
plant, one of a number of species and genera known as Grape Hyacinth. Originally Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, where it grows in grassy alpine areas, it is sometimes grown as an ornamental plant
Ornamental plant
Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...
. The name M. tubergenianum (also spelt M. tubergianum) may be used in the horticultural literature.
M. aucheri is usually less than 10 centimetres (3.9 in) tall, although taller forms are known. There are usually only two or three leaves per bulb, relatively wide for a Muscari, which have a greyish green upper side and a hooded or boat-shaped tip. The flowers are arranged in a dense spike or raceme
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
. The lower fertile flowers are bright blue with whitish lobes or teeth around the mouth of the more or less spherical flower; the upper sterile flowers are a paler blue or almost white.
In cultivation it is said to be easy to grow but not to increase very rapidly. The plant sold under the name M. tubergenianum is more robust than wild form.