Flowers A to Z - Hyacinth

Hyacinth

Botanical Name :	Hyacinthus orientalis
Common Name :	Hyacinth
Product Use :	Cut Flower
Pronunciation :	hy-a-SIN-thus or-ee-en-TAL-is or or-ee-en-TAY-lis
Family Roots :	Member of the Liliaceae (lily family). Native to the Mediterranean region, Asia Minor and Syria. Common relatives include lily, tulip, asparagus and daylily.
Personality :	The inflorescence is 4-6 inches long with bell-shaped florets. Stems leafless, thick and fleshy, 8-12 inches long. Plant is a herbaceous perennial from a bulb, classed as a monocotyledon, leaves mostly parallel veined. Flower fragrance intense, sweet.
Availability :	Winter, early spring in northern hemisphere.
Flower Color :	White, blue, pink, red, yellow.
Decorative Life :	3-7 days.
Ethylene Sensitivity :	Low
Post Harvest Care Opportunities :	There are reports that leaving the basal plate intact at harvest and all the way through the marketing channel will extend vaselife. Namely, they state that the stems should never be recut, only the bottom portion should be rinsed off (cleaned). By leaving the basel plates on, water uptake is improved. Flower stalks of some cultivars may require support to prevent bending due to the increased weight as the stalks elongate and flowers develop.
Storage Specifics :	Store at 36-41 F for up to 3 days dry and 5 days in water, prolonged refrigeration may cause chilling injury, reduce vaselife and/or reduce fragrance. As with tulips, flowers harvested with the bulbs still attached can be stored longer and generally do better than ones without bulbs.
Preharvest & Harvest Factors:	Harvest when florets begin to show color and one or more flowers should bend horizontally off of the stem (scape).
Tidbits :	Named after Hyacinthus, a Greek youth whose friendship was the object of a feud between Apollo and Zephyrus (the west wind). Zephyrus accidentally killed Hyacinthus and Apollo changed his drops of blood into the hyacinth flower. In ancient Greece a yearly festival called Hyacinthia was held to celebrate the resurrection of vegetation in the spring. With over 3000 species, the lily family includes many medicinal and food species in addition to ornamentals. The specific epithet name "orientalus" means eastern or China, in reference to its origin. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology lists this species as an allergy-safe pollen producing plant. See More at Hoogasian Flowers A to Z: http://www.hoogasian.com/FlowersAtoZ.html