Muscari latifolium, the broad-leaved grape hyacinth, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae. The Latin specific epithet latifolium means "broad-leaved".
Description It is a bulbous perennial geophyte, reaching a height of , rarely . There are usually one, rarely two leaves present. These are long and 1 to 3 cm wide, upright, wide and linear to ovate-lanceolate. They are drawn together and often hood-shaped. The flower stem is slightly longer than the leaves. The inflorescence is a raceme long and wide. The fertile flowers at the base are 5–6 mm long and 3 mm wide, oblong-shaped and a deep purple colour. The sterile flowers at the top are 4–8 mm long and pale lilac or blue. The flowering period extends from April to May in the Northern Hemisphere.
Distribution M. latifolium is found in southern and western Turkey, adjacent to sparse pine forests at altitudes from .
Cultivation Widely used as an ornamental plant in flower beds, M. latifolium is hardy to USDA Zone 5,Taylor's guide to Bulbs. Houghton Mifflin Boston 1986. p. 351. and in the British Isles and all of Europe down to . It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
References
Bibliography Eckehardt J. Jäger, Friedrich Ebel, Peter Hanelt, Gerd K. Müller (eds.): Rothmaler Exkursionsflora von Deutschland. Band 5: Krautige Zier- und Nutzpflanzen. Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg 2008, . , pp. 124–130 Pacific Bulb Society