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Urginea maritima

Common name:	Sea Squill	Family:	Hyacinthaceae
Author:	(L.)Baker.	Botanical references:	50, 200
Synonyms:	Urginea scilla (Steinh.), Drimia maritima ((L.)Stearn.)
Known Hazards:	The bulb is poisonous in large doses[4, 19]. The red form especially has a fairly specific action on rats[4, 57, 171]. The fresh bulb contains an acrid juice that can cause skin blisters[4].
Range:	Europe - Mediterranean.
Habitat:	Dry sandy places, especially near the coast[4, 45, 50].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	3

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Scilla maritima[G,H]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Adasogani [E], Basal Al Far [E], Escila [E], Kaiso [E], Onion,Sea [E], Red Squill [P,E], Sea Onion [E], Squill [E,H], Squill,Indian [E], U'Nsul [E], White Squill [H],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	maritima = on the sea-coast;
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	China; Egypt; France; India; Iraq; Mediterranean; Sicily; Spain; Syria; Turkey

Physical Characteristics

Bulb growing to 1m by 0.3m . It is hardy to zone 9. It is in leaf from October to July, in flower from September to October. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees. It is noted for attracting wildlife. We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 3/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antidandruff; Cardiotonic; Diuretic; Emetic; Expectorant.

Sea squill contains cardiac glycosides which are strongly diuretic and relatively quick-acting[254]. They do not have the same cumulative effect as those present in foxglove (Digitalis spp.)[254]. The bulb has been widely used by herbalists, mainly for its effect upon the heart and for its stimulating, expectorant and diuretic properties[4]. The fresh bulb is slightly more active medicinally than the dried bulb, but it also contains a viscid acrid juice that can cause skin inflammations[4]. This is a very poisonous plant and it should only be used under the supervision of a qualified practitioner[238].
The dried bulb is cardiotonic, strongly diuretic, emetic when taken in large doses and expectorant[4, 46, 57, 61, 89, 165, 171, 254]. The bulb can weigh up to 2 kilos[4]. It is used internally in the treatment of bronchitis, bronchitic asthma, whooping cough and oedema[238] and is a potential substitute for foxglove in aiding a failing heart[254]. The bulb is harvested in the autumn, sliced transversally and dried for later use[238].
Externally, the bulb has been used in the treatment of dandruff and seborrhoea[238].

We have a more details factsheet on the history and medicinal use of this plant. Email webmaster@pfaf.org for details.

Other Uses

Miscellany.

The red bulb form of this species contains the poisonous substance 'scilliroside'[238]. This substance is poisonous to rodents but does not kill other species (which vomit instead)[238].

Cultivation details

Succeeds in ordinary garden soil according to one report[1], whilst another says that it requires a very free draining gritty or sandy soil in full sun[200]. The bulbs have a summer resting period and should be kept dry at this time[188]. Some protection from winter wet is strongly recommended[200]. Easily grown in a warm sunny position[90].
A very ornamental plant, it is not very hardy in Britain according to one report[1], whilst another says that it can be grown in N. European gardens[200] though it does not flower very freely there[90, 200]. Another report says that the plant can tolerate temperatures down to about -7°c[238]. The bulb should be only partially buried[200].
This species is cultivated in the Mediterranean area for its use in the drug industry[238]. The bulbs are harvested after 6 years growth with a yield of about 25,000 bulbs per hectare[238].
There are two main forms of this species, one has a white bulb and the other has a red one. The red bulb is the form that is used as a rat poison whilst the white bulb is used as a cardiotonic. Another report says that herbalists do not distinguish between the two forms[4]. Only the red form contains the rat poison 'scilliroside', though both forms can be used medicinally[238].
The bulb is very tenacious of life, one specimen that had been stored for 20 years in a museum was found to be trying to grow[4].
A good bee plant[89].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse[188]. Sow the seed thinly so that the seedlings can be left in the pot for their first growing season. Give them regular liquid feeds when in active growth to ensure that they do not suffer nutrient deficiency. Divide the young bulbs once the plant becomes dormant, placing 2- 3 bulbs in each put. Grow them on for at least another year in pots and plant them out into their permanent positions when they are dormant.
Division of offsets in late summer when the bulb is dormant[188, 238]. Larger bulbs can be replanted immediately into their permanent positions. It is probably best to pot up smaller bulbs and grow them on in a greenhouse for a year before planting them out when they are dormant in late summer.

Cultivars

'': No entries have been made for this species as yet.

Suppliers

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]
[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[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.
[S] Illustration from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Urginea scilla (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.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

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

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[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.

[19] Stary. F. Poisonous Plants. Hamlyn 1983 ISBN 0-600-35666-3
Not very comprehensive, but easy reading.

[45] Polunin. O. Flowers of Greece and the Balkans. Oxford University Press 1980 ISBN 0-19-217626-9
A good pocket flora, it also lists quite a few plant uses.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[50] ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964
An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.

[57] Schery. R. W. Plants for Man.
Fairly readable but not very comprehensive. Deals with plants from around the world.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[89] Polunin. O. and Huxley. A. Flowers of the Mediterranean. Hogarth Press 1987 ISBN 0-7012-0784-1
A very readable pocket flora that is well illustrated. Gives some information on plant uses.

[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.

[165] Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
An excellent small herbal.

[171] Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952
Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.

[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.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.