The autumn grape hyacinth grows around the Mediterranean, all the way from Spain to Turkey and Israel.

The autumn grape hyacinth is a small plant that flowers in autumn in response to the arrival of the Mediterranean rainy season. A solitary flower is not easily seen but the plants tend to grow close together and form small carpets of delicate blue flowers. However, to appreciate the beauty of these flowers, one should go down on his knees and look at the individual flowers closely.

The species belongs to a group of plants known as the grape hyacinths. In this group one also finds the tassel hyacinth, a spring-flowering indigenous plant that is rather common, and two very rare species – the dark grape hyacinth and the southern grape hyacinth.

The tassel hyacinth is known in Maltese as basal il-ħniezer while the autumn grape hyacinth is known as ġjaċint tal-ħarifa.

All grape hyacinths form long narrow leaves that grow straight out of an underground bulb. Their flowers are usually a shade of blue and grow in an inflorescence at the top part of a vertical stalk. The flowers are spherical, hence the word grape in the English name.

The autumn grape hyacinth grows around the Mediterranean, all the way from Spain to the far end of the Mediterranean, including Turkey and Israel.

Their flowers are usually a shade of blue and grow in an inflorescence at the top part of a vertical stalk

The scientific name of the autumn grape hyacinth is Muscari parviflorum. The name muscari goes back several centuries: it is derived from the word muscus which is Latin for musk-like because some species have a musk-like fragrance. Parviflorum is also of Latin origin, meaning small flower.

About 60 species of Muscari are found in the world. Most are indigenous to southern and central Europe and many parts of Asia. They have now been introduced in other parts of the world, especially as garden bulbs. Some species of grape hyacinths are cultivated as garden plants and several cultivars and varieties have been developed as ornamental plants by gardeners.

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