Hyacinth (flower)
A
Hyacinth is any
plant of genus
Hyacinthus, which are bulbous
herbs formerly placed in the lily family
Liliaceae but now regarded as the type genus of the separate family
Hyacinthaceae. Hyacinths are native to the
Mediterranean region as well as
South Africa. They are named after the
Hyacinth from
Greek mythology.
The Dutch, or common, hyacinth of house and garden culture (
H. orientalis of the northeast Mediterranean) was so popular in the 18th century that over 2,000 types were cultivated in the
Netherlands, its chief commercial producer. This hyacinth has a single dense spike of fragrant flowers in shades of red, blue, white, or yellow. A variety of the common hyacinth is the less hardy and smaller blue- or white-petalled Roman hyacinth (var.
albulus) of florists. Several types of brodiea,
deathcamas,
squill, and other plants that were formerly classified in the lily family and have flower clusters borne along the stalk also have common names with hyacinth in them.
Only three species are currently recognised within the genus Hyacinthus. They are:
- Hyacinthus litwinowii
- Garden Hyacinth, Hyacinthus orientalis
- Hyacinthus transcaspicus
Some authorities place
H. litwonowii and
H. transcaspicus in the related genus
Hyacinthella, leaving
Hyacinthus as monotypic.
The related grape hyacinths (Muscari), sometimes called baby's-breath, are very low, mostly blue-petalled herbs similar in appearance to hyacinths and are also commonly cultivated.
