Hyacinth

Hyacinth
	Cultivar ofHyacinthus orientalis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Asparagaceae
Subfamily:	Scilloideae
Genus:	Hyacinthus; Tourn.exL.
Type species
	Hyacinthus orientalis;
Species
	See text.

Hyacinthus/ˌhaɪəˈsɪnθəs/^[1]is a smallgenusofbulbousherbs, spring-bloomingperennials.^[2]^[3]They are fragrant flowering plants in the familyAsparagaceae,subfamilyScilloideae^[4]and are commonly calledhyacinths(/ˈhaɪəsɪnθs/). The genus is native predominantly to theEastern Mediterraneanregion from the south ofTurkeyto thePalestine region,although naturalized more widely.^[5]

The name comes fromGreek mythology:Hyacinthwas killed by Zephyrus, the god of the west wind, jealous of his love forApollo,who then transformed the drops of blood into flowers.

Several species ofBrodiaea,Scilla,and other plants that were formerly classified in theLiliaceae familyand haveflower clustersborne along thestalkalso have common names with the word "hyacinth" in them. Hyacinths should also not be confused with the genusMuscari,which are commonly known as grape hyacinths.

Description

Hyacinthusgrows from bulbs, each producing around four to six narrow untoothed leaves and one to three spikes orracemesof flowers. In the wild species, the flowers are widely spaced, with as few as two per raceme inH. litwinoviiand typically six to eight inH. orientaliswhich grows to a height of 15–20 cm (6–8 in).CultivarsofH. orientalishave much denser flower spikes and are generally more robust.^[6]

Taxonomy

Hyacinthus transcaspicus

The genus nameHyacinthuswas attributed toJoseph Pitton de Tournefortwhen used byCarl Linnaeusin 1753.^[5]It is derived from a Greek name used for a plant byHomer,ὑάκινθος(hyákinthos), the flowers supposedly having grown up from the blood of ayouth of this namekilled by the godZephyrout of jealousy.^[7]The original wild plant known ashyakinthosto Homer has been identified withScilla bifolia,^[8]among other possibilities. Linnaeus defined the genusHyacinthuswidely to include species now placed in other genera of the subfamilyScilloideae,such asMuscari(e.g. hisHyacinthus botryoides)^[9]andHyacinthoides(e.g. hisHyacinthus non-scriptus).^[10]

Hyacinthuswas formerly the type genus of the separate family Hyacinthaceae; prior to that, the genus was placed in the lily familyLiliaceae.^[11]

Species

Three species are placed within the genusHyacinthus:^[5]

Hyacinthus litwinovii– north-east Iran to southern Turkmenistan
Hyacinthus orientalis- Iraq, Lebanon-Syria, Palestine region, Turkey; common, Dutch or garden hyacinth^[12]
Hyacinthus transcaspicus– north-east Iran to southern Turkmenistan

Some authorities placeH. litwonoviiandH. transcaspicusin the related genusHyacinthella,^[13]which would makeHyacinthusamonotypicgenus.

Distribution

The genusHyacinthusis considered native to the eastern Mediterranean from southernTurkeyto theregion of Palestine,includingLebanonandSyria,and on throughIraqandIrantoTurkmenistan.^[5]It is widely naturalized elsewhere, including Europe (Bulgaria, France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Sardinia, Sicily and former Yugoslavia), Cyprus, North America (California, Pennsylvania, Texas), central Mexico, the Caribbean (Cuba, Haiti) and Korea.^[5]

Cultivation

The Dutch, or common hyacinth, of house andgardenculture (H. orientalis,native toSouthwest Asia) was so popular in the 18th century that over 2,000 cultivars were grown in theNetherlands,its chief commercial producer. This hyacinth has a single dense spike offragrant flowersin shades of red, blue, white, orange, pink, violet or yellow. A form of the common hyacinth is the less hardy and smaller blue- or white-petalled Roman hyacinth. These flowers need full sunlight and should be watered moderately.^[14]

Toxicity

The inedible bulbs containoxalic acidand may cause mild skin irritation. Protective gloves are recommended.^[15]

Some members of the plant subfamily Scilloideae are commonly called hyacinths but are not members of the genusHyacinthusand are edible; one example is thetassel hyacinth,which forms part of the cuisine of some Mediterranean countries.^[16]

Culture

Nowruz Sonbol (Hyacinth)

Hyacinths are often associated with spring and rebirth.^{[citation needed]}The hyacinth flower is used in theHaft-Seentable setting for thePersianNew Year celebration,Nowruz,held at thespring equinox.ThePersianword for hyacinth isسنبل(sonbol), meaning 'cluster'.

The nameὑάκινθος(hyakinthos) was used inAncient Greecefor at least two distinct plants, which have variously been identified asScilla bifoliaorOrchis quadripunctataandConsolida ajacis(larkspur).^[17]Plants known by this name were sacred toAphrodite.^[18]

The hyacinth appears in the first section ofT. S. Eliot'sThe Waste Landduring a conversation between the narrator and the "hyacinth girl" that takes place in the spring.^[19]

You gave me hyacinths first a year ago;
"They called me the hyacinth girl."
—Yet when we came back, late, from the Hyacinth garden,
Your arms full, and your hair wet, I could not
Speak, and my eyes failed, I was neither
Living nor dead, and I knew nothing,
Looking into the heart of light, the silence.

InRoman Catholictradition,H. orientalisrepresents prudence, constancy, desire of heaven and peace of mind.^[20]

Colour

The colour of the blue flower hyacinth plant varies between 'mid-blue',^[21]violet blueand bluishpurple.Within this range can be foundPersenche,which is an Americancolorname (probably from French), for a hyacinth hue.^[22] The colour analysis of Persenche is 73%ultramarine,9%redand 18%white.^[23]

Gallery

Wild-typeHyacinthus orientalisin cultivation
Pink cultivar
Hyacinth cultivars inFloriade, Canberra
Hyacinth cultivars inFloriade, Canberra
White and purple hyacinth cultivars inDetroit, Michigan
Young boy picking hyacinths inNormandyinFrance
Cross section of Hyacinth orientalis cultivar

References

^"Hyacinthus".Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary.Merriam-Webster.
^"Are Hyacinths Perennials?".
^"Are Hyacinths Perennials?".
^Stevens, P.F."Angiosperm Phylogeny Website: Asparagales: Scilloideae".Mobot.org.Retrieved7 November2017.
^^a ^b ^c ^d ^e"HyacinthusTourn. ex L. "Plants of the World Online.Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.Retrieved2023-11-11.
^Beckett, K., ed. (1993),Encyclopaedia of Alpines: Volume 1 (A–K),Pershore, UK: AGS Publications,ISBN 978-0-900048-61-6pp. 656–657.
^Hyam, R. & Pankhurst, R.J. (1995),Plants and their names: a concise dictionary,Oxford: Oxford University Press,ISBN 978-0-19-866189-4
^Lindsell, Alice,Was Theocritus a botanist?inRaven, John E. (2000), Raven, Faith; Stearn, William T.; Jardine, Nicholas & Frasca-Spada, Marina (eds.),Plants and Plant Lore in Ancient Greece,Oxford: Leopard's Head Press, p. 27,ISBN 978-0-904920-40-6,p. 68
^"Hyacinthus botryoides",World Checklist of Selected Plant Families,Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew,retrieved2013-03-20^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^"Hyacinthus non-scriptus",World Checklist of Selected Plant Families,Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew,archived fromthe originalon 2012-04-23,retrieved2013-03-20
^Hyacinthaceae,Tolweb.org,retrieved2011-03-20
^"Hyacinthus orientalis".
^Czerepanov, S.K. (1995),Vascular Plants of Russia and Adjacent States (the Former USSR),Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,ISBN 978-0-521-45006-5,cited inWorld Checklist of Selected Plant Families,The Board of Trustees of theRoyal Botanic Gardens, Kew,retrieved2011-10-07,underHyacinthella litwinoviiandHyacinthella transcaspica
^"☀️ What are the Light Needs for Roman hyacinth in Gardening? (Type, Characteristics, and Warning Signals)".PictureThis.Retrieved2024-06-27.
^"Home Forcing of Hyacinths",North Carolina State UniversityHorticulture Information,archived fromthe originalon 2013-04-04,retrieved2013-03-20
^"Traditional Foods of Puglia Italy-Cooking Lampascioni Hyacinth Bulbs".Italian Connection.2010-04-27.Retrieved2024-06-27.
^Raven (2000),p. 27.
^Kurke, Leslie (1999).Coins, bodies, games, and gold: the politics of meaning in archaic Greece.Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. p. 192.ISBN 0691007365.
^"The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot".Poetry Foundation.Poetry Foundation. 2018-09-05.Retrieved2018-09-05.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: others (link)
^"Signs and Symbols".catholictradition.org.Retrieved2019-01-22.
^Mathew, Brian (1987), The Smaller Bulbs, London: B.T. Batsford,ISBN 978-0-7134-4922-8
^"(M)".Archived fromthe originalon 2015-09-17.Retrieved2015-09-24.
^Funk & Wagnell's New Standard Dictionary (1942), underspectrumcolor list.

External links

[1] "Hyacinthus".Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary.Merriam-Webster.

[2] "Are Hyacinths Perennials?".

[3] "Are Hyacinths Perennials?".

[4] Stevens, P.F."Angiosperm Phylogeny Website: Asparagales: Scilloideae".Mobot.org.Retrieved7 November2017.

[POWO_24372-1-5] "HyacinthusTourn. ex L. "Plants of the World Online.Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.Retrieved2023-11-11.

[6] Beckett, K., ed. (1993),Encyclopaedia of Alpines: Volume 1 (A–K),Pershore, UK: AGS Publications,ISBN 978-0-900048-61-6pp. 656–657.

[7] Hyam, R. & Pankhurst, R.J. (1995),Plants and their names: a concise dictionary,Oxford: Oxford University Press,ISBN 978-0-19-866189-4

[Rave00-8] Lindsell, Alice,Was Theocritus a botanist?inRaven, John E. (2000), Raven, Faith; Stearn, William T.; Jardine, Nicholas & Frasca-Spada, Marina (eds.),Plants and Plant Lore in Ancient Greece,Oxford: Leopard's Head Press, p. 27,ISBN 978-0-904920-40-6,p. 68

[WCSP_278581-9] "Hyacinthus botryoides",World Checklist of Selected Plant Families,Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew,retrieved2013-03-20^{[permanent dead link‍]}

[WCSP_278654-10] "Hyacinthus non-scriptus",World Checklist of Selected Plant Families,Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew,archived fromthe originalon 2012-04-23,retrieved2013-03-20

[11] Hyacinthaceae,Tolweb.org,retrieved2011-03-20

[12] "Hyacinthus orientalis".

[Czer95-13] Czerepanov, S.K. (1995),Vascular Plants of Russia and Adjacent States (the Former USSR),Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,ISBN 978-0-521-45006-5,cited inWorld Checklist of Selected Plant Families,The Board of Trustees of theRoyal Botanic Gardens, Kew,retrieved2011-10-07,underHyacinthella litwinoviiandHyacinthella transcaspica

[14] "☀️ What are the Light Needs for Roman hyacinth in Gardening? (Type, Characteristics, and Warning Signals)".PictureThis.Retrieved2024-06-27.

[15] "Home Forcing of Hyacinths",North Carolina State UniversityHorticulture Information,archived fromthe originalon 2013-04-04,retrieved2013-03-20

[16] "Traditional Foods of Puglia Italy-Cooking Lampascioni Hyacinth Bulbs".Italian Connection.2010-04-27.Retrieved2024-06-27.

[FOOTNOTERaven200027-17] Raven (2000),p. 27.

[18] Kurke, Leslie (1999).Coins, bodies, games, and gold: the politics of meaning in archaic Greece.Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. p. 192.ISBN 0691007365.

[19] "The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot".Poetry Foundation.Poetry Foundation. 2018-09-05.Retrieved2018-09-05.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: others (link)

[catholictradition-20] "Signs and Symbols".catholictradition.org.Retrieved2019-01-22.

[21] Mathew, Brian (1987), The Smaller Bulbs, London: B.T. Batsford,ISBN 978-0-7134-4922-8

[22] "(M)".Archived fromthe originalon 2015-09-17.Retrieved2015-09-24.

[23] Funk & Wagnell's New Standard Dictionary (1942), underspectrumcolor list.

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