| L |
Flora Eur. 1695 |
E | field gladiolus, Italian gladiolus, corn gladiolus | S | Gladiolus italicus Miller (G. segetum Ker-Gawler) |
| G | Saat-Siegwurz | F | glaïeul des moissons, glaïeul d'Italie | I | gladiolo dei campi |
E. 3.63 and referred to in 3.106-7 |
A. 11.69 |
No flower is more clearly described. No flower is less clearly identified. Everyone knows that the flower has AI, AI written on it, and this corresponds to nothing in nature. Helmut Bauman's Greek Wild Flowers and Plant Lore in Ancient Greece (London: Herbert Press, 1993; the most recent ed.) claims 141 species have been claimed as hyacinthus. Not the least of the problems is that the Greek flower and the Roman flower might not be the same. I'm just going for the one I find most convincing.
The main feature of Vergil's description is that the flower, like Hyacinthus himself, is a bit of a droopy fellow: mollis (E. 6.53, G. 1.137), languens (A. 11.69). It's also blushing (suave rubens, E. 3.63) to dark red (ferrugineus, G. 4.183).
Other top contenders are:
 Asphodelus.fistulosus.jpg |
 Consolida.ambigua.jpg |
 Fritillaria.meleagris.jpg |
 Hyacinthus.orientalis.jpg |
 Iris.foetidissima.jpg |
 Lilium.martagon.jpg |
 Scilla.bifolia.jpg |
 Scilla.hyacinthoides.jpg |
But really, can there be any doubt as to the true answer?
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