Muscari botryoides

Small Grape Hyacinth ( Muscari botryoides )

The Small Grape Hyacinth ( Muscari botryoides ) is a plant from the family of asparagus plants ( Asparagaceae ).

Dissemination

Their original habitat is the Mediterranean, where it grows on cultivated land and dry grasslands. As a refugee garden is overgrown in some hot regions of Central Europe and is now growing in places in fruit and wine gardens and along railway and road embankments and on dry grass. Due to its late introduction, though it is one of the neophytes, it is in Germany because of its rare occurrence, however, on the Red List of Threatened Species.

Appearance

The little grape hyacinth is a perennial herbaceous plant that develops onions as outlasting. For the onions are mostly develop two linear and fleshy leaves. In the midst of an up to 20 inches in height and stems at the end of a short and dense grape inflorescence is growing.

The threefold, nodding flowers are three to four millimeters long and blue; they give off no odor. The perianth consists of six intergrown bloom cladding. This is one of the features that refers to belonging to the lily -like. Inside the perianth is a ovary to stand the six stamens in two circles. From pollinated flowers develop sharp, triangular and winged gap capsules develop. This will dry out with increasing maturity and are then like parchment. Fully developed capsules open times, with a longitudinal crack along the respective midrib. In each subject the capsule there are one or two black and up to 2.5 mm long and ovoid seeds.

Reproduction and propagation

Pollinators are bees and bumble bees, which are attracted by the nectar formed at the septa of the ovary.

The Little Grape spreading their seeds with the help of the rain. Since the openings of the capsule facing up, the seeds are ejected through it falling raindrop. Botanically referred to this rain spread as Ombrochorie, with plants that operate on this way raindrops as spreader even finer categorized as Regenballisten.

As a further spread form the Small Grape uses the Semachorie. From the mature capsules, the seeds are also spread when the wind moves them violently.

This type does not form daughter bulbs. The plants are therefore only together for a few mostly individually or and not grow horst -like ( this is in contrast to many other species of the genus, so it can serve as a feature in the determination ).

Garden History

The Little Grape is one of the plants, which was introduced as tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and other plants in the so-called oriental phase from 1560 to 1620 from Turkey and the Middle East to Central Europe.