Muscari armeniacum   Garden Grape-hyacinth I

Muscari armeniacum Muscari armeniacum

This European introduction is quite a common garden escape and one which looks quite like the native Muscari neglectum (Grape-hyacinth). The most obvious difference between the two is that the native M. neglectum has a few bright blue sterile florets at the very top of the spike but the rest are violet-blue almost black in color. The Garden grape-hyacinth has bright blue florets roughly all the same colour.

M. armenicaum has escaped in many parts of southern England and can be found nearest coast al Wales as well as dotted through northern England. it is far less common in Scotland and scarce in Ireland.

Southport (Birkdale Sand Hills) 3rd May 2006

Added on 15th May 2006, updated 4th Jnaury 2011, updated 28th January 2021