Scilla bifolia
Encyclopedia
Scilla bifolia is a herbaceous
perennial
growing from an underground bulb
, belonging to the genus Scilla
of the Asparagaceae
family.
The specific epithet bifolia, meaning "two leaves", refers to the number of leaves for each plant.
and western Russia
south through Turkey
to Syria
. The plant is found in shady places, woods of beech or deciduous trees, and mountain grasslands. It grows at an altitude of 100 metre above sea level.
The flowering stems
are erect and unbranched, 10–20 cm (3.9–7.9 ) high. The raceme
bears 6-10 flowers, each 1 cm (0.393700787401575 in) across.
The flowers of Scilla bifolia are upward-facing, unlike the nodding flowers of Scilla siberica (Siberian squill
). They bloom from early to late spring. The six tepals are deep violet-blue, more rarely white, pink, or purple. The fruit is a capsule 6–8 mm (0.236220472440945–0.31496062992126 ) across.
Cultivars
The cultivated variety
'Rosea' has pale pink or white flowers.
Herbaceous plant
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
perennial
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
growing from an underground bulb
Bulb
A bulb is a short stem with fleshy leaves or leaf bases. The leaves often function as food storage organs during dormancy.A bulb's leaf bases, known as scales, generally do not support leaves, but contain food reserves to enable the plant to survive adverse conditions. At the center of the bulb is...
, belonging to the genus Scilla
Scilla
Scilla is a genus of about 50 bulb-forming perennial herbs in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, native to woodlands, subalpine meadows, and seashores throughout Europe and Asia...
of the Asparagaceae
Asparagaceae
Asparagaceae is the botanical name of a family of flowering plants, placed in the order Asparagales of the monocots.In earlier classification systems, the species involved were often treated as belonging to the family Liliaceae...
family.
The specific epithet bifolia, meaning "two leaves", refers to the number of leaves for each plant.
Distribution
Scilla bifolia is native to EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and western Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
south through Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
to Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. The plant is found in shady places, woods of beech or deciduous trees, and mountain grasslands. It grows at an altitude of 100 metre above sea level.
Description
Scilla bifolia grows from a bulb 1–2 cm (0.393700787401575–0.78740157480315 ) across. There are two or rarely three lance-shaped, curved, fleshy and shiny leaves. The bases of the leaves clasp up to about the half of the stem (amplexicaul).The flowering stems
Pedicel (botany)
A pedicel is a stem that attaches single flowers to the main stem of the inflorescence. It is the branches or stalks that hold each flower in an inflorescence that contains more than one flower....
are erect and unbranched, 10–20 cm (3.9–7.9 ) high. The raceme
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
bears 6-10 flowers, each 1 cm (0.393700787401575 in) across.
The flowers of Scilla bifolia are upward-facing, unlike the nodding flowers of Scilla siberica (Siberian squill
Siberian squill
Siberian squill is a bulbous perennial, grown for its nodding blue flowers in early spring. It naturalizes rapidly from seed.-Distribution:...
). They bloom from early to late spring. The six tepals are deep violet-blue, more rarely white, pink, or purple. The fruit is a capsule 6–8 mm (0.236220472440945–0.31496062992126 ) across.
Subspecies
- Scilla bifolia subsp. bifolia
- Scilla bifolia subsp. buekkensis (Speta) Soó
- Scilla bifolia subsp. rara Trávníček
- Scilla bifolia subsp. spetana (Kereszty) Trávníček
Cultivars
The cultivated variety
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
'Rosea' has pale pink or white flowers.
Synonyms
Synonyms of Scilla bifolia include:- Scilla xanthandra K.Koch [1847]
- Scilla voethorum Speta [1980]
- Scilla uluensis Speta [1976]
- Scilla silvatica Czetz [1872]
- Scilla secunda Janka [1856]
- Scilla resslii Speta [1977]
- Scilla pleiophylla Speta [1980]
- Scilla nivalis Boiss. [1844]
- Scilla minor K.Koch [1847]
- Scilla longistylosa Speta [1976]
- Scilla dubia K.Koch [1847]
- Scilla decidua Speta [1976]
- Scilla carnea Sweet [1830]
- Scilla alpina Schur [1852]
- Stellaris bifolia (L.) Moench
- Ornithogalum bifolium (L.) Neck. [1770]
- Hyacinthus bifolia (L.) E.H.L.Krause in Sturm [1906]
- Genlisa bifolia (L.) Raf. [1840]
- Anthericum bifolium (L.) Scop. [1771]
- Adenoscilla bifolia (L.) Gren.