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Hyacinthoides nonscripta

Common name:	Bluebell	Family:	Liliaceae
Author:	(L.)Chouard. ex Rothm.	Botanical references:	17, 200
Synonyms:	Scilla nonscripta ((L.)Hoffmanns.&Link.), Endymion nonscriptus ((L.)Garcke.)
Known Hazards:	The bulb (and the whole plant?) is poisonous[4].
Range:	Western Europe from the Netherlands and Britain o Belgium and France.
Habitat:	Deciduous woodland[28], usually on slightly acid soils[17].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Endymion non-scripta[H] Endymion non-scriptus[E] Endymion nonscripta[B,H,P] H. non-scriptus[HORTIPLEX] Hyacinthus nonscriptus[H] Scilla non-scripta[E,H,DUTCH] Scilla nutans[H]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Auld Man's Bell [H], Bluebell [H,E], Calverkeys [H], Culverkeys [H], English Bluebell [P], English-bluebell [B], Jacinth [H], Ring-o'-Bells [H], Wilde Hyacint [D], Wood Bells [H],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Liliales. Lily family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Europe

Physical Characteristics

Bulb growing to 0.3m by 0.2m . It is hardy to zone 5 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from May to June, and the seeds ripen from July to August. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Flies and beetles. We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Diuretic; Styptic.

The bulb has diuretic and styptic properties[4]. It is used as a remedy for leucorrhoea[4].

Other Uses

Adhesive; Starch.

A glue is obtained from the sap in the bulb and stem[4, 6, 66]. Simply cut open a bulb and apply the sap to whatever needs to be joined[K]. It makes an excellent paper glue, the join is stronger than the surrounding paper[6]. It would not work on non-absorbent materials such as plastics and glass[K].
A starch from the bulb has been used in laundering[4], it is very harsh on the skin[6].

Cultivation details

Easily grown in a soil rich in leafmold[90], preferring semi-shade[28, 31] but tolerating full sun. Succeeds in most soils but prefers a heavy one[200]. Succeeds in the dry shade of trees[188, 233].
Bulbs like to be quite deep in the soil[200].
The flowers diffuse a balsam-like scent in the sunshine[245].

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring or as soon as ripe in a cold frame. It usually requires stratification. If you have plenty of seed it can be sown in situ, but it is usually more economical to sow it in a frame. If sown thinly, the seedlings can be left in their pots for the first year, though give them regular liquid feeds to make sure that they get sufficient nutrient. Prick out the seedlings about 3 to a pot and grow on for 1 - 2 more years before planting out into their permanent positions when they are dormant[K].
Division of the bulbs in summer after the leaves die down. Larger bulbs can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, but it is best to pot up smaller bulbs and grow them on for a year in a cold frame before planting them out when dormant in late summer.

Scent

Flowers: Fresh: The flowers diffuse a balsam-like scent in the sunshine.

Suppliers

Plants For A Future is working with the following groups to try and make these plants easily available. Parts of the proceeds will be donated to so please mention us when ordering.

Wildwood Nurseries: Lower Manor Cottage
Thornbury
Holsworthy
Devon
EX22 7DD
Email: lorna@macace.co.uk
Phone 01409 261324 Fax 01409 261324
Distribution: UK
How to order: Direct from Wildwood by email/phone
Last Updated: March 03
Item: Hyacinthoides nonscripta (bluebells*)

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for Endymion non-scripta (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database

References for Endymion non-scriptus (a possible synonym).

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

References for Hyacinthoides non-scriptus (a possible synonym).

[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Scilla non-scripta (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

References for hyacinthoides nonscripta (a possible synonym).

References for the family Liliaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[6] Mabey. R. Plants with a Purpose. Fontana 1979 ISBN 0-00-635555-2
Details on some of the useful wild plants of Britain. Poor on pictures but otherwise very good.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[28] Knight. F. P. Plants for Shade. Royal Horticultural Society. 1980 ISBN 0-900629-78-9
A small but informative booklet listing plants that can be grown in shady positions with a few cultivation details.

[31] Brown. Shade Plants for Garden and Woodland.

[66] Freethy. R. From Agar to Zenery. The Crowood Press 1985 ISBN 0-946284-51-2
Very readable, giving details on plant uses based on the authors own experiences.

[90] Phillips. R. and Rix. M. Bulbs Pan Books 1989 ISBN 0-330-30253-1
Superbly illustrated, it gives brief details on cultivation and native habitat.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

Readers Comments

Hyacinthoides nonscripta

s. newman (sapnew@blueyonder.co.uk) Sun May 11 18:41:52 2003

I have a lot of bluebells in my garden. one of them is pink colour is this possible?

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