Hyacinthus is a genus in the Hyacinthaceae family that has had many taxonomic revisions with various plants moved in and out of it. There are three species left from Turkey to central Asia. One of them, Hyacinthus orientalis is the parent of the many cultivars that are offered for sale each fall and are often forced.
Hyacinthus orientalis is native to the Eastern Mediterranean and is planted in autumn and dried off in summer. The picture below shows some originally grown from seed that are being grown in the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens bulb collection. The species is quite different from the cultivars. Photo by Kristina Van Wert.
Hyacinthus orientalis var. albulus is a long lasting heirloom bulb in the Southern USA. This specimen was collected in Navasota, TX and is self-fertile. Photo by Cynthia W. Mueller.
Here is a similar blue-flowered form which has grown in the Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, zone 7 garden of Jim McKenney for perhaps forty years. It's nothing to look at, but the fragrance is wonderful!
