Seasonal Wild Flowers

Latin name

Scilla verna

Family

Asparagaceae

Flowering season

April to June

English distribution

It is mainly coastal in the Southwest and Northwest, and

thinly scattered inland.

See the BSBI distribution map for Spring Squill

Habitat

It grows on dry, short grassland by the coast.

Description

Spring Squill is a native, bulbous, patch-forming

herb growing up to 15cm.

There are approximately 12 flowers per flowerhead.

Each flower is up to 15mm across and has 6 violet blue

petaloid tepals, which have raised mid-ribs.

The six stamens have white, broad, tapering filaments

which radiate out from below the ovary.

Anthers are violet when they first appear and darken

on aging.

The ovary is above the stamens, 3-celled and deep

violet.

The style is the same length as the stamens, and

pale violet.

The stigma is hard to see.

The fruit is a globular capsule.

Each flower has a blue, lanceolate erect bract.

There are 3 to 6 linear, grooved leaves up to 20cm.

They appear before the flowers.