Pseudomuscari azureum (syn. Muscari azureum), the azure grape hyacinth, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to Turkey. A bulbous perennial, it is grown in gardens for its spring flowers. The Latin specific epithet azureum means "bright blue", a reference to its flower colour.
Pseudomuscari azureum is a small plant, around 4– high with two to three grey-green leaves per bulb. Up to 60 flowers are borne in Spring (March or April in the Northern Hemisphere) in a dense "spike" (raceme). Each flower is 4– long and bright blue in colour with a darker stripe along each of the lobes. A feature which distinguishes the genus Pseudomuscari from the related Muscari is that the mouth of the flower is not narrowed but forms an open bell-shape. It grows in alpine meadows in north and east Turkey.[1] [2]
P. azureum may be found in horticultural sources under the illegitimate name Hyacinthus azureus. It is still widely referenced under its previous name Muscari azureum. The species is popular as a spring-flowering bulb; Brian Mathew describes it as "a delightful plant" for use in rock gardens or underneath shrubs.[1] It is frost-hardy and should be grown in full sun.[2] Under the name Muscari azureum it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[3] There is a white cultivar, 'Album'.[1]