Herb: Italian Grape Hyacinth


Latin name: Muscari botryoides


Synonyms: Hyacinthus botryoides


Family: Hyacinthaceae



Edible parts of Italian Grape Hyacinth:

The flowers and flower buds can be pickled in vinegar.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Bulb


Height:
25 cm
(9 3/4 inch)

Flowering:
May


Scent:
Scented
Bulb

Habitat of the herb:

Meadows, thickets and roadsides in Eastern N. America, where it is a garden escape.

Propagation of Italian Grape Hyacinth:

Seed - best sown as soon as ripe in a greenhouse. The seed can also be sown in early spring in a greenhouse. A good proportion of the seed usually germinates within 2 - 3 months. Sow the seed thinly so that the seedlings can be left undisturbed in the pot for their first year of growth. Give them an occasional liquid feed in the growing season to ensure they do not become nutrient deficient. When the plants become dormant in late summer, pot up the small bulbs placing 2 - 3 bulbs in each pot. Grow them on for another one or two years in the greenhouse before planting them out when they are dormant in late summer. Division of offsets in July/August after the leaves die down. It can be done every other year if a quick increase is required. Larger bulbs can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, but it is best to pot up the smaller bulbs and grow them on in a cold frame for a year before planting them out when they are dormant in late summer.

Cultivation of the herb:

Meadows, thickets and roadsides in Eastern N. America, where it is a garden escape.

Medicinal use of Italian Grape Hyacinth:

None known

Known hazards of Muscari botryoides:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.