Muscari botryoides, (L.) Miller Muscari armeniacum Muscari neglectum Muscari commutatum

9. M. botryoides (L.) Miller , Gard. Diet. ed. 8, no. 1 (1768)

(inch M. heldreichii Boiss. ).

Bulb not producing offsets; tunics pale or greyish-brown. Leaves 2-3(-4), 5-25 cm x 5-12 mm, erect, linear-oblanceolate or rarely linear, abruptly contracted, hooded or shortly acuminate at apex, the upper surface paler, glaucous, often prominently ribbed. Scape 7-30 cm, almost always exceeding leaves. Raceme dense at first, becoming laxly cylindrical and 1-7 cm long, except in some mountain plants where it does not elongate. Pedicels of fertile flowers (0-5-)2-5 mm, as long as or shorter than flower, patent or deflexed (rarely flowers subsessile). Fertile flowers 2-5-4(-5) mm, globose, strongly constricted, bright blue; teeth white, recurved. Sterile flowers few, smaller and paler, shortly pedicellate. Fruiting raceme lax. Capsule 4-6 x 4-6 mm, globose. 2n=18, 36. • C. & S.E. Europe, extending locally westwards to N.W. France. Al Au Bu Co Cz Ga Ge Gr He Hu It Ju Po Rm Rs (W) Si Tu [Be Ho].

A somewhat variable species. M. kerneri Marchesetti , Boll. Soc. Adr. Sci. Nat. Trieste 7: 266 (1882) and M. longifolius Rigo , Nuovo Gior. Bot. Ital. nov. ser., 12: 152 (1905), are variants from N. Italy (the former extending into S.C. Europe) with narrow leaves. M. lelievrii Boreau , Not. Pl. Fr. 2: 29 (1846) ( Botryanthus lelievrii (Boreau) Nyman ), is a rare variant from C. France in which the raceme remains dense.

10. M. armeniacum Leichtlin ex Baker , Gard. Chron. ser. 2, 9: 798 (1878)

( M. pyramidatum Velen. ).

Bulbs with or without offsets; tunics dark brown. Leaves (2-)3-5(-7), 10-30cm x 1-10 mm, linear or linear-lanceolate, rarely linear-elliptical, acute, the upper surface sometimes glaucous. Scape 10-40 cm. Raceme 1-5-5 cm, dense to very dense, ovoid to cylindrical. Pedicels of fertile flowers 1-5 mm, patent to deflexed, usually shorter than flowers. Fertile flowers 3-5-5-5 x 2-5-3-5 mm, obovoid to oblongurceolate, bright blue, sometimes with a purplish tinge; teeth pale or white. Sterile flowers few, smaller, paler or concolorous. Fruiting raceme lax. Capsule 8-12 x 6-5-8 mm, obovoid, emarginate. 2« =18. Balkan peninsula. B u G rJ u T u.

Very variable. Many records of 11 from the Balkan peninsula are really referable to 10.

11. M. neglectum Guss , ex Ten., FI. Neap. Syll. App. Quinta 13 (1842)

( Hyacinthus racemosus L. , nom. ambig., M. racemosum (L.) Lam. & DC. , M. atlanticum Boiss. & Reuter ; inch M. mordoanum Heldr. , M. vandasii Velen. ).

Bulbs with or without offsets; tunics dark to reddish-brown. Leaves 3-6,6-40 cm x 1-5- 8 mm, linear to linear-lanceolate, canaliculate to involute, bright green, sometimes reddish at base. Scape 4-30 cm, often as long as leaves. Raceme usually dense. Pedicel of fertile flowers 0-5-5 mm, patent or deflexed, shorter than perianth. Fertile flowers 3-5-7-5 x 1-5-3-5 mm, ovoid to oblong-urceolate, strongly constricted, very dark to blackish-blue; teeth 0-3-1 mm, white, recurved. Sterile flowers up to 20, smaller and paler than fertile flowers. Fruiting raceme lax. Capsule 8-10 x 7-10 mm, ovoid to obovoid, emarginate to apiculate. 2«= 18, 36,45, 54, 72. Europe, northwards to N. France and S.C. Russia. Al Au BI Bu Co Cr Cz Ga Ge Gr He Hs Hu It Ju Lu Po Rm Rs (C, W K, E) Sa Si Tu [Br].

Very polymorphic . There is also a range of shades of flower colour between the plants with dark blue flowers, commonly known as M. racemosum or (in N. Africa) as M. atlanticum , and the plants with almost black ones ascribed to M. neglectum . As the variation is continuous, formal recognition of constituent taxa is not practicable.

Within Europe, the diploid plants, with 2n=18, have been recorded only from Greece. They are dwarf (less than 15 cm) and the bulbs have no offsets. They are often referred to M. pulchellum Heldr. & Sart. ex Boiss. , Diagn. Pl. Or. Nov. 3(4): 109 (1859) ( Botryanthus pulchellus (Heldr. & Sart. ex Boiss.) Nyman ), and may be found, on further investigation, to deserve formal infraspecific status. Many of the polyploids, however, are less than 15 cm; an octoploid (2« = 72), from Krym, is a dwarf plant with relatively large flowers, and is unusual in possessing linear-oblanceolate leaves.

12. M. commutatum Guss. , Fl. Sic. Prodr. 1: 426 (1827).

Bulbs occasionally producing offsets; tunic dark shiny brown. Leaves 2-5, 10-30 cm x 5-15 mm, linear to linear-lanceolate, with a minute scarious margin, canaliculate. Scape 6-30 cm, about as long as leaves. Raceme dense, ovoid. Pedicels of fertile flowers 2-6 mm, patent-deflexed, as long as or shorter than flowers. Fertile flowers 3-5-7 mm, obovoid-urceolate, strongly shouldered and constricted, deep blackish-violet, with recurved concolorous teeth; teeth 0-5-1 mm. Pedicels of sterile flowers 1-3 mm. Sterile flowers 2-4 mm, paler and smaller than the fertile. Fruiting raceme lax. Capsule 7-12x5-8 mm, oblong-ovoid or broadly ellipsoid. 2«= 18. Mediterranean region, westwards to W. Italy. Cr Gr It Ju Si.