Hyacinthus orientalis, the common hyacinth, garden hyacinth or Dutch hyacinth, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. It is native to western Asia, from southern Turkey, through Syria and Lebanon to northern Israel. It was introduced to Europe in the 16th century. It is widely cultivated everywhere in the temperate world for its strongly fragrant flowers which appear exceptionally early in the season, and frequently forced to flower at Christmas time.

Description

It is a bulbous plant, with a diameter bulb. The leaves are strap-shaped, long and broad, with a soft, succulent texture, and produced in a basal whorl. The flowering stem is a raceme, which grows to (rarely to ) tall, bearing 2–50 fragrant purple flowers 2–3.5 cm long with a tubular, six-lobed perianth.

Mythology

In Greek mythology, Hyacinthus was a young man admired by Apollo and Zephyr, but killed by a discus by Zephyr when Apollo and Hyacinthus were playing the game in a jealous rage between the two gods; a flower was allegedly named after him when it sprang from his blood. However, Theophrastus describes both a cultivated and a wild plant called (), neither of which are considered to be the modern hyacinth.

Reproduction

The reproduction of the plant in cultivation can be done easily by dividing the newly appeared bulbs from the main plant. In nature, this method is also used by the hyacinth, but the plant also has a 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 by rewarding them with nectar.

After flowering, the ripening of the seed capsules begins. They are fleshy, spherical structures.

  • 'Aida' (deep blue)
  • 'Anna Marie' (pink)
  • 'Blue Festival' (pale blue)
  • 'Blue Jacket' (blue)
  • 'Chicago' (violet blue)
  • 'City of Haarlem' (cream)
  • 'Delft Blue' (blue)
  • 'Fairly' (white)
  • 'Gipsy Queen' (salmon pink)
  • 'Jan Bos' (deep pink)
  • 'L'Innocence' (white)
  • 'Miss Saigon' (deep pink)
  • 'Ostara' (blue)
  • 'Paul Hermann' (mauve-pink)

<!-- AGM withdrawn*'Pink Pearl' (pink)-->

  • 'Royal Navy' (dark blue)
  • 'Yellow Queen' (cream yellow)

Forcing

Hyacinths are among the most popular bulbs selected for the process known as forcing, whereby plants are induced to flower earlier than their natural season (in this case, Christmas). It involves depriving bulbs of light and warmth for a period of several weeks, before growing them on in a bright, cool place such as a kitchen windowsill. It is possible to grow the bulbs in a narrow-necked vase of water, thus being able to view the root growth. Alternatively, bulbs can be purchased pre-forced.

Toxicity

All parts of this plant are reportedly toxic to humans and animals if ingested.

See also

  • List of poisonous plants

References

  • Newsletter Number 4. (October 2004) Hyacinth perennialization, Flower Bulb Research Program, Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University