Leopoldia comosa

The hyacinth comoso or hierba del querer or Nazareno (Leopoldia comosa) is a perennial herb with showy purple or blue flowers, native to Central Europe and Asia.

Illustration

Inflorescence

Illustration

Detail of the flower

Inflorescence

Features

It is a herb that reaches 60 cm in height, with the roots forming reddish bulbs. The leaves are basal, linear in shape, about 15 mm long by 12 wide. It blooms in spring and presents ovoid or tubular flowers, with three teeth, purple or navy blue, up to 1 cm in size, forming compact clusters of them. The ovary is trilobed, bearing as fruit a trivalve winged capsule.

Habitat and cultivation

Prefers moist soils, meadows, and pastures. It tolerates limestone soils and low temperatures. It is very widespread in gardening given its ease of naturalization; due to its rusticity it is sometimes considered invasive. Rockery compositions, groups; around bushes, forming more or less compact groups, etc. It is found in southern Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.

There is an ornamental variety, called plumosum or monstruosum, which forms a showy inflorescence.

The bulbs, similar to those of the onion but smaller and with a more bitter taste, are eaten in some countries of the Mediterranean basin.

Dioscorides (1st century) says of these bulbs:

They're all acres, and heat, stimulate coitus, irritate the tongue and tonsils, etc (...) You have to take care of the amount you eat of bulbs because they affect nerves

Taxonomy

Leopoldia comosa was described by (EL.) Paro. and published in Flora Palermitana 435. 1845

Sinonimia

• Bellevalia bouriana Heldr. ex Nyman
• Calandrinian Bellevalia (Parl.) Nyman
• Bellevalia comosa (L.) Kunth
• Bellevalia graeca Heldr.
• Bellevalia graminifolia Nyman
• Bellevalia holzmannii Heldr.
• Bellevalia holzmannii var. curta (Heldr.) Nyman
• Bellevalia pharmacusana (Heldr.) Nyman
• Bellevalia pinardii Boiss.
• Sartorian Bellevalia (Heldr.) Nyman
• Bellevalia sartoriana subsp. pharmacusana (Heldr.) Nyman
• Bellevalia tenuiflora subsp. constricta (Tausch) Nyman
• Botrycomus vulgaris Fourr.
• Etheiranthus constrictus (Tausch) Kostel.
• Etheiranthus milleri Kostel.
• Eubotrys assa (L.) Raf.
• Hyacinthus assus L.
• Hyacinthus fuliginosus Pall.
• Hyacinthus monstrosus L.
• Hyacinthus paniculatus Lam.
• Leopoldia anguliflora Lojac.
• Bormanian Leopoldia Lojac.
• Leopoldia bouviana Heldr. ex Nyman
• Dutch Leopoldia Parl.
• Leopoldia clusiana Heldr. ex Nyman
• Leopoldia constricted Heldr.
• Leopoldia curta Heldr.
• Leopoldia graeca (Heldr.) Heldr.
• Leopoldia graminifolia Heldr. ex Nyman
• Leopoldia holzmannii (Heldr.) Heldr.
• Leopoldia pharmacusana Heldr.
• Leopoldia pinardii (Boiss.) Parl.
• Leopoldia pyramidalis (Tausch) Heldr.
• Leopoldia sartoriana Heldr.
• Leopoldia trojana Heldr.
• Muscari bouvianum Heldr. ex Rouy
• Muscari bulgaricum Velen.
• Muscari calandrinianum (Parl.) Nyman
• Muscari charrellii Heldr. ex Rouy
• Muscari comosum (L.) Mill.
• Muscari comosum subsp. courtilleri (Boreau) K.Richt.
• Muscari comosum f. monstrosum (L.) Maire
• Muscari comosum subsp. monstrosum (L.) K.Richt.
• Muscari constrictum Tausch
• Muscari courtilleri Boreau
• Muscari cousturieri Gand.
• Muscari cretensium Gand.
• Muscari curtum (Heldr.) Boiss.
• Muscari giennense Pau & Cuatrec.
• Muscari graecum (Heldr.) Boiss.
• Muscari graminifolium Heldr. ex Rouy
• Muscari holzmannii (Heldr.) Hirc
• Muscari longissimum Medik.
• Muscari monstrosum (L.) Mill.
• Muscari paniculatum (Lam.) Medik.
• Muscari pharmacusanum (Heldr.) Boiss.
• Muscari pinardii Boiss.
• Muscari pyramidale Tausch
• Muscari sartorianum (Heldr.) Boiss.
• Muscari segusianum E.P.Perrier " Songeon
• Muscari trojanum (Heldr.) Boiss.
• Pelotris paniculatus (Lam.) Raf.
• Scilla comosa (L.) Salisb.
• Monstrous clay (L.) Salisb.

Common names

Agüelicos, ajete, stork garlic, ajipuerco, garlic, stork garlic, snake garlic, dog garlic, dog garlic, ajopuerro, stork garlic, lizard onion, kite onion, chives, guitarrillo, guitarrillos, hyacinth, grass of love, herbs of love, imple, hyacinth, hyacinth comoso, plumed hyacinth, greater hyacinth comoso, plumed hyacinth, wild hyacinths, lilacs, matacandil, mayos, Nazarene, Nazarenes, garlic eye, penitents.