Everything about The Common Bluebell totally explained
The
Common Bluebell (
Hyacinthoides non-scripta,
syn. Endymion non-scriptus,
Scilla non-scripta) is a
spring-flowering
bulbous
perennial plant.
Names
The traditional name of "non-script" was intended to distinguish this plant from the classical
hyacinth. The classical hyacinth was a flower described in
Greek mythology that sprang from the blood of the dying prince
Hyacinthus. As a mark of his grief on the death of the prince,
Apollo inscribed the letters "AIAI".
Other names by which this plant is known are: Auld Man's Bell, Bluebell, Calverkeys, Culverkeys, English Bluebell, Jacinth, Ring-o'-Bells, Wilde Hyacint, and Wood Bells.
Locations
The Common Bluebell flowers in April and May. The stems are 10-30 cm long and
bend over at the top. The lavender-blue flowers are pendulous, bell-shaped and slightly fragrant. The
anthers are yellowish-white.
In spring, many European woods are covered by dense carpets of this flower; these are commonly referred to as "
bluebell woods". The bluebell that's the national flower of
Scotland isn't this species, but another unrelated plant
Campanula rotundifolia also known as a
Harebell.
It is common to find
hybrids with the closely related Spanish Bluebell (a popular cultivated garden plant in Britain). There is concern that the native populations of
H. non-scripta are endangered by this hybridisation. The hybrids may be distinguished by their broader, less pendulous flowers, often with darker anthers (pale purple in pure
H. hispanica) and broader leaves. Variations in colour occur, most usually pinkish or in a white variety,
H. non-scripta alba.
Distribution
According to distribution data from
Flora Europea the bluebell is endemic to
Belgium,
Great Britain,
France,
Ireland, the
Netherlands,
Spain and
Portugal, and is also found in
Germany,
Italy, and
Romania.. It is being replaced in Spain and Portugal by the similar
Spanish Bluebell H. hispanica and in Italy by the
Italian Bluebell H. italica.
Protection
In the
United Kingdom the common bluebell is a protected species under the
Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Landowners are prohibited from removing bluebells on their land for sale and it's a criminal offence to remove the bulbs of wild bluebells. This legislation was toughened up in 1998 under Schedule 8 of the Act: the trade in common bluebell bulbs or seeds is an offence. Thursford in East Anglia is a popular Bluebell reserve, and was subject to an act of vandalism in the mid 1990's, as reported on the magazine show "Look East". Luckily, no protected species were badly damaged in the attempt.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Common Bluebell'.
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