Hyacinthella Schur is a bulbous genus in the Hyacinthaceae family from Europe and Asia, mostly Turkey. Plants grow on rocky hillsides, hot and dry in summer. In this genus, the bulbs often look "powdered" with crystals. This genus is related to Muscari and Bellevalia. Plants have two or three basal leaves with prominent fibre strands and loose racemes of tubular or campanulate pale to deep blue or violet flowers with dark blue anthers held just within the mouth of the tube. The perianth remains attached to the developing ovary during the fruiting stage (this doesn't occur in Bellevalia and Muscari).
Hyacinthella dalmatica Chouard is distributed in the northwest Balkan peninsula. Height range: 30-45 cm. Photo 1 by Jane McGary. Photo 2 of var. 'Grandiflora' by Rimmer de Vries.
Hyacinthella glabrescens (Boiss.) K.Perss. & Wendelbo has greyish-green glabrous leaves and deep violet blue tubular flowers on long pedicels. It is native to Turkey, especially the Taurus Mountains. Height range: 30-45 cm. Photographs by David Nicholson and John Lonsdale.
Hyacinthella heldreichii (Boiss.) Chouard is from Southern Anatolia in Turkey. Height range: 5-15 cm. Photos 1 and 2 are of a rich purple form grown from RRW9050 and photo 3 is from RRW92103; photographs by Rimmer de Vries.
Hyacinthella lazulina K.Perss.& Jim.Perss. is native to Turkey. Height range: 10-15 cm. Photo from Rimmer de Vries.
Hyacinthella lineata (Steud. ex Schult. & Schult.f.) Chouard is native to western Turkey. It had deep blue or violet flowers on distinct pedicels in a loose raceme and leaves with hairy margins. Height range: 5-25 cm. Photograph by David Nicholson.
Hyacinthella millingenii (Post) Feinbrun is a species from southern Turkey and Cyprus. Height: 10 cm. Photos from John Lonsdale.
Hyacinthella nervosa (Bertol.) Chouard is a dry semi-desert/desert species distributed from south Turkey to Jordan. It blooms in late January-February. Flowers are mostly blue except for a few populations in south Jordan which are pink. Height range: 15-30 cm. Photo 1 was taken by Oron Peri in the Jordan Valley, north of Jerico in Palestine. Photos 2 and 3 by Rimmer de Vries.
