Leopoldia comosa

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Leopoldia comosa
Muscari 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: Leopoldia
Species:
L. comosa
Binomial name
Leopoldia comosa
(L.) Parl. [1]
Synonyms [1]
  • Hyacinthus comosusL.
  • Muscari comosum(L.) Mill.

Leopoldia comosa (syn. Muscari comosum) 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]

Leopoldia comosa 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]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyacinth</span> Genus of flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae

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<i>Muscari racemosum</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae

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<i>Bellevalia</i> Genus of flowering plants

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<i>Muscari botryoides</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae

Muscari botryoides is a bulbous perennial plant of the genus Muscari and one of a number of species and genera known as grape hyacinth. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental plant.

<i>Eucomis comosa</i> Species of flowering plant

Eucomis comosa, the pineapple flower, pineapple lily or wine eucomis, is a species of flowering plant in the asparagus family Asparagaceae. A deciduous bulbous perennial used as an ornamental plant, it is endemic to South Africa. The white to purple flowers appear in summer and are arranged in a spike (raceme), topped by a "head" of green leaflike bracts.

<i>Muscari neglectum</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae

Muscari neglectum is a perennial bulbous flowering plant in the asparagus family Asparagaceae. Members of this genus are commonly known as grape hyacinths, and M. neglectum is known as common grape hyacinth or starch grape hyacinth. Muscari are perennial bulbous plants native to Eurasia. They produce spikes of dense, commonly blue, urn-shaped flowers. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental plant, for example, in temperate climates as a spring bulb.

<i>Fritillaria uva-vulpis</i> Species of flowering plant

Fritillaria uva-vulpis, commonly called the fox's grape fritillary, is a bulbous perennial plant belonging to the genus Fritillaria and native to eastern Turkey, north-western Iraq and western Iran. They are mainly found in the wooded foothills of the Zagros, where they grow in damp meadows and cornfields between 900 and 1800 m above sea level.

<i>Muscari armeniacum</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae

Muscari armeniacum is a species of flowering plant in the squill subfamily Scilloideae of the asparagus family Asparagaceae. It is a bulbous perennial with basal, simple leaves and short flowering stems. It is one of a number of species and genera known as grape hyacinth, in this case Armenian grape hyacinth or garden grape-hyacinth. The flowers are purple, blue, white or pale pink and the plants are usually 15 centimetres (6 in) tall. M. armeniacum blooms in mid-Spring for 3–4 weeks. Some selections are fragrant. Established bulbs leaf in the autumn. M. armeniacum is widespread in the woods and meadows of the Eastern Mediterranean, from Greece and Turkey to the Caucasus, including Armenia which gives it its name.

<i>Crocus tommasinianus</i> Species of flowering plant

Crocus tommasinianus, the woodland crocus, early crocus, or Tommasini's crocus, is a flower named after the botanist Muzio G. Spirito de Tommasini (1794-1879). It is native to Bulgaria, Hungary, Albania, and the former Yugoslavia. It is often referred to as the early or snow crocus, but these terms are shared with several other species, although C. tommasinianus is amongst the first to bloom. Multiple plants are often called tommies in the horticultural trade.

<i>Liriope muscari</i> Species of flowering plant

Liriope muscari is a species of flowering plant from East Asia. Common names in English include big blue lilyturf, lilyturf, border grass, and monkey grass. This small herbaceous perennial has grass-like evergreen foliage and lilac-purple flowers which produce single-seeded berries on a spike in the fall. It is invasive to North America and considered a threat to native wildlife.

<i>Leopoldia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Leopoldia is a genus of bulbous perennial plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. The genus is widespread around the Mediterranean region and neighboring lands, from the Canary Islands to Iran.

<i>Muscari macrocarpum</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae

Muscari macrocarpum is a perennial bulbous flowering plant in the asparagus family Asparagaceae. It is one of a number of species known as Grape Hyacinth, in this case Yellow Grape Hyacinth. Originally from eastern Crete, Amorgos and south-west Turkey, where it grows in rocky places, it is sometimes grown as an ornamental plant.

<i>Muscari aucheri</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae

Muscari aucheri, Aucher-Éloy grape hyacinth, is a species of flowering plant in the squill subfamily Scilloideae of the asparagus family Asparagaceae. It is a perennial bulbous plant, one of a number of species and genera known as grape hyacinths. Originally from Turkey, where it grows in grassy alpine areas, it is sometimes grown as an ornamental plant. The synonym M. tubergenianum may be found in the horticultural literature.

<i>Pseudomuscari azureum</i> Species of flowering plant

Pseudomuscari azureum, the azure grape hyacinth, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to Turkey. A bulbous perennial, it is grown in gardens for its spring flowers. The Latin specific epithet azureum means "bright blue", a reference to its flower colour.

<i>Muscari latifolium</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae

Muscari latifolium, the broad-leaved grape hyacinth, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae. The Latin specific epithet latifolium means "broad-leaved".

Bellevalia paradoxa is a bulb forming plant in the genus Bellevalia of the family Asparagaceae, formerly classified in the genus Muscari, under which name it is commonly sold as Muscari paradoxum.

References

  1. 1 2 WCSP (2011), World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew , retrieved 2011-11-14, search for "Leopoldia comosa"
  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. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Muscari comosum". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. 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.