Description
Scilla dasyantha is a very little-known, very limited endemic from the Canary Islands. It is found only in a small area in the western municipality of Buenavista del Norte, province Santa Cruz de Tenerife from where it was described by Webb and Berthel in 1847.
It differs from its closest relative Scilla haemorrhoidalis, (also described by Webb and Berthel at the same time in “Hist. Nat. Iles Canaries” – 2(3): 337. 1847) in having substantially wider, deep-green leaves with an apiculus and in having short and dense flower spikes. The Plant List simply lumps it (incorrectly in our view) into Scilla haemorrhoidalis whilst those on the ground in the Canary Islands regard it as readily separable and distinct. The small group of endemic Canary Island Scilla are poorly known and they clearly need proper study rather than herbarium-based pronouncements.
Light pink flower stems appear very early in the year and these carry many, small flowers which have pale to dark violet-blue petals, with a darker violet, globular ovary, pale violet filaments and style and dark navy anthers that yield yellow pollen when they ripen.
The leaves are made over the winter and it has to be said that Scilla dasyanth will not be hardy in the UK outside. It needs to be pot-grown, under glass or in a conservatory where it likes a minimum of 8-10 C in winter, with as much light as you can give it. The leaves die back to the bulbs (which can reach 3-4 cm across) over the summer. A good, fertile, loam-based compost is best and feeding will build big bulbs more quickly.
