Scilla siberica Andrews
Siberian squill
Siberian squill, native to southwestern Russia, the Caucasus, and Turkey is, curiously, not native to Siberia. Brought to North America as a garden plant, it has escaped, and is weedy to invasive in some midwestern regions, and shouldn’t be planted. Pretty though!
Plants: A perennial, 4–8 ⨉ 1¾″ (10–20 ⨉ 5 cm).
Leaves: 2-4 strap-shaped, dark green, basal leaves emerge from an underground bulb. Each leaf is linear-oblong 0.0 ⨉ 0.0 mils (0 ⨉ 0 µm).
Flowers: One to three flowers atop a slender, naked stem up to 6″ (15 cm) long. Nodding, blue, bell-shaped when not fully open. (There is a white-flowered variety, as well as white, pink or blue-violet cultivars.) Each flower has six petals and six white stamens with blue tips. This is an early spring bloomer.
Fruits: Seed pods gradually turn purple and split, releasing small, dark brown seeds.
Habitats: Escapes from gardens ... into pretty much everywhere.
Edibility: Poisonous.
Contains cardiac glycosides that
can be fatal if ingested. It can also cause a contact dermatitis.
Online References:
References:
Clemants, Steven; Gracie, Carol, Wildflowers in the Field and Forest, Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 62
4/29/2015 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 6 × 3½″ (14 × 9.6 cm) 
4/29/2015 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm) 
4/29/2015 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 4 × 3½″ (9.9 × 9.6 cm) 
4/29/2015 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Liliopsida | Monocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family |
| Subclass | Liliidae | Includes lilies, orchids, and many others |
| Order | Asparagales | A diverse group that includes asparagus |
| Family | Asparagaceae | Agaves, asparagus, hyacinths, and others |
| Genus | Scilla | “Squill.” Middle English, from Anglo-French squille, Latin squilla, scilla, from Greek skilla |
| Species | siberica | Of or from Siberia (except that it isn’t) |
Scilla siberica description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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