Lucile's glory-of-the-snow |
Flowers and single flower of Lucile's glory-of-the-snow
| Scilla luciliae Boiss: | |
| Blooming period: | February–April |
| Height: | 5–10 cm |
| Flowers: | bisexual, actinomorphic, blue with white center, conspicuous, Ø up to 35 mm, stamens: 6, styles: 1 |
| Tepals: | 6, blue |
| Leaves: | 2, basal, parallel-veined |
Plant perennial, herbaceous, with an up to 2 cm thick bulb surrounded by a brown tunic.
Stems upright, incl. flower scape about 10 cm high.
Leaves 2, basal, 20 mm wide, up to 8 cm long.
The stalks bears a single stalked flower or a terminal, about 4.5 cm long, yellow-green flower scape bearing 2–4 upright flowers. Pedicels up to 3 cm long, at the base without any bract.
The up to 35 mm wide flowers are funnel-shaped to disc shaped. In the center of the flower is formed after some time a sometimes vaguely recognizable or blurred delineated white "eye".
The 6 tepals are fused urn-shaped at the base. The 3 inner petals are often wavy.
At the top of the corolla tube arise 6 incurvate stamens with yellow anthers, whose stamens are widened and cover the ovary.
After insect pollination (bees, bumblebees, wasps) the superior ovary forms 3-piece, many-seeded, rounded, up to 6 mm thick capsule fruits.
The seeds have a nutrient-rich appendage (elaiosome) and are spread by ants. Propagation also by formation of daughter bulbs. Plants poisonous, especially the bulbs!
Scilla luciliae can hybridize with Scilla siehei (Scilla siehei × luciliae).
| Floral formula: |
| * [P(3+3) A3+3] G(3) superior |
Occurrence:
Roadsides,
parks, public gardens, often near human settlements. Prefers slightly
moist, nutrient-rich, sandy soil and sunny places to partial shade.
Distribution:
Originally
only in Turkey. In Middle Europe garden escape.