Muscari comosum

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Muscari comosum
Leopoldia comosum 08-05-2010 (1).jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Scilloideae
Genus: Muscari
Subgenus: Muscari subg. Leopoldia
Species:
M. comosum
Binomial name
Muscari comosum
Synonyms [1]
  • Bellevalia comosa(L.) Kunth
  • Botrycomus vulgarisFourr.
  • Eubotrys comosa(L.) Raf.
  • Hyacinthus comosusL.
  • Leopoldia comosa(L.) Parl.
  • Scilla comosa(L.) Salisb.

Muscari comosum (syn. Leopoldia comosa) is a perennial bulbous flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae. Usually called the tassel hyacinth [2] or tassel grape hyacinth, [3] it is one of a number of species and genera also known as grape hyacinths. It is found in rocky ground and cultivated areas, such as cornfields and vineyards [4] in the Mediterranean region, [5] [6] [7] but has naturalized elsewhere. In southern Italy and Greece, its bulb is a culinary delicacy.

Contents

Description

Described by Oleg Polunin as "a striking plant", it has a tuft of bright blue to violet-blue sterile flowers above brownish-green fertile flowers, which open from dark blue buds, [4] reminiscent of a menorah candelabrum. This tuft gives rise to the name "tassel hyacinth". [7] The flower stem is 20–60 cm tall; individual flowers are borne on long stalks, purple in the case of the sterile upper flowers. Mature fertile flowers are 5–10 mm long with stalks of this length or more and are bell-shaped, opening at the mouth, where there are paler lobes. The linear leaves are 5–15 mm wide, with a central channel. [4] [7]

Muscari comosum naturalizes easily and may become invasive. It has spread northwards from its original distribution, for example appearing in the British Isles in the 16th century.

In a cultivar called 'Monstrosum' or 'Plumosum', all the flowers have become branched purple stems. [7]

Cuisine

During Roman times, Pliny noted that the bulbs were eaten with vinegar, oil, and garum. [8] Today, it is still eaten in some Mediterranean countries. In Apulia and Basilicata, it is cultivated and known as lampagioni or lampascioni. [9] In Greek it is called βολβός , βολβοί, βροβιοί volví, vrovií (ασκουρδαλάκοι in Crete). In Greece and especially on Crete, it is considered a delicacy and collected in the wild. The cleaned bulbs are boiled several times, pickled, and then kept in olive oil. The bulbs of the tassel hyacinth are mentioned in classical Hebrew literature under the name bulbūsīn. [10]

References

  1. ↑ "Muscari comosum (L.) Mill". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  2. ↑ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  3. ↑ NRCS. "Muscari comosum". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 Polunin, Oleg (1969), Flowers of Europe : a field guide, London: Oxford University Press, ISBN   978-0-19-217621-9 , p. 502 (under the name M. comosum)
  5. ↑ "Leopoldia comosa (Muscari comosum)". first-nature.com. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Seed-propagated Muscari comosum (L.) Mill.: Effects of sowing date and growing conditions". V. Candido, D. Castronuovo, S. Fascetti, L. Rosati & G. Potenza. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Mathew, Brian (1987), The Smaller Bulbs, London: B.T. Batsford, ISBN   978-0-7134-4922-8 , p. 130 (under the name M. comosum)
  8. ↑ Pieroni, Andrea (2005). Prance, Ghillean; Nesbitt, Mark (eds.). The Cultural History of Plants. Routledge. p. 39. ISBN   0415927463.
  9. ↑ "Lampascioni Proprietà Controindicazioni Ricette Foto e Riflessioni". Lampascione.it. Retrieved 2018-10-09.
  10. ↑ Tosefta Kil'ayim 3:11, et al.
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