#hyacinthoides

Plant of the Day

Saturday 3 May 2025

The flowers of Hyacinthoides hispanica (Spanish bluebell, large bluebell, Spanish squill) come in blue, pink and white. The species originates in Spain, Portugal and North Africa and was introduced to the UK as a garden plant in the 17th century. It is invasive and poses a significant threat to the native Hyacinthoides non-scripta (English bluebell) through hybridisation and competition.

Spanish bluebell is listed on Schedule 9 of the UK Wildlife & Countryside Act as an invasive non-native species. Although not banned from sale, it is an offence to plant or cause these to grow in the wild in Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland.

Hyacinthoides ×massartiana

Members of this genus are commonly called “bluebells”, and they were formerly put in the related genus Scilla. The plant pictured, Hyacinthoides ×massartiana, is a hybrid between Hyacinthoides non-scripta, the common bluebell of Western Europe, and Hyacinthoides hispanica, native to Spain and Portugal. It is growing in quite a bit of shade at the Ruth Bancroft Garden, but has still managed to put forth its beautiful blue flowers. It is a very easy-to-grow plant, and is now placed in the subfamily Scilloideae of the Asparagus Family. This subfamily was formerly known as the Hyacinth Family (Hyacinthaceae).