Drimia Maritima, Urginea Maritima, Sea Squill, maritime squill|, ed squill, use as cut flower.

Drimia maritima is a Mediterranean climate-adapted bulb of up to 10 lbs. native to Northern parts of Africa, hardy in USDA Zones 8-11

A species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae (formerly the family Hyacinthaceae).

This species is known by several common names, including squill, sea squill, sea onion,[3] and maritime squill.[4] It may also be called red squill, particularly a form which produces red-tinged flowers instead of white.[4] It is native to southern Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa.

Synonyms

Charybdis maritima (L.) Speta
Ornithogalum maritimum (L.) Lam.
Scilla maritima L.
Squilla maritima (L.) Steinh.
Stellaris scilla Moench, nom. superfl.
Urginea maritima (L.) Baker

Ornamental use
The tall inflorescences are used as cut flowers in floristry.

This plant grows from a large bulb which can be up to 20 cm (7.9 in) wide and weigh 1 kg (2.2 lb). Several bulbs may grow in a clump and are usually just beneath the surface of the soil. In the spring, each bulb produces a rosette of about ten leaves each up to a meter long. They are dark green in color and leathery in texture. They die away by fall, when the bulb produces a tall, narrow raceme of flowers. This inflorescence can reach 1.5–2 m (4 ft 11 in – 6 ft 7 in) in height.[4][5] The flower is about 1.5 cm (0.59 in) wide and has six tepals each with a dark stripe down the middle. The tepals are white, with the exception of those in the red-flowered form. The fruit is a capsule up to 1.2 cm (0.47 in) long.[4]

Ecology
This plant often grows in rocky coastal habitats, especially in the Mediterranean Basin, where it is common.[4] It occurs in many other types of habitat, except for the driest deserts.[5] It can grow in open and also in very shady areas.[6] Its habit of producing leaves in the spring and flowers in the fall is an adaptation to the Mediterranean climate of its native range, where the summers are hot and dry.[7]

This species has two different pollination syndromes, entomophily, and anemophily; it is pollinated by insects and wind. Insect pollinators include the western honey bee (Apis mellifera), the Oriental hornet (Vespa orientalis), and the paper wasp species Polistes gallicus.

Use
The plant has been used as a poison and as a medicinal remedy. The main active compounds are cardiac glycosides, including unique bufadienolides such as glucoscillaren A, proscillaridine A, scillaren A, scilliglaucoside, and scilliphaeoside. The plant can have a cardiac glycoside content of up to 3%. Scilliroside, the most important of the toxic compounds, is present in all parts of the plant.[8] The broad leaves of this plant, when they completely dry out, lose their toxicity and are consumed by cattle and sheep.[9] In Palestine, Arab peasants are known to use the plant to mark the butts and bounds of farmland, on account of the plant's distinct features.

Medicine
This species has been used as a medicinal plant since ancient times. It is noted in the Ebers Papyrus of the 16th century BC, one of the oldest medical texts of ancient Egypt. Pythagoras wrote about it in the 6th century BC. Hippocrates used it to treat jaundice, convulsions, and asthma. Theophrastus was also familiar with it. Its primary medicinal use was as a treatment for edema, then called dropsy, because of the diuretic properties of the cardiac glycosides. A solution of sea squill and vinegar was a common remedy for centuries. The plant is also used as a laxative and an expectorant.

Poison
The plant has also been used as a poison. It is very bitter, so most animals avoid it. Rats, however, eat it readily and then succumb to the toxic scilliroside. This has made the plant a popular rodenticide for nearly as long as it has been in use as a medicine. The bulbs are dried and cut into chips, which can then be powdered and mixed with rat bait. The plant was introduced as an experimental agricultural crop in the 20th century primarily to develop high-toxicity varieties for use as rat poison. Interest continued to develop as rats became resistant to coumarin-based poisons.

It has also been tested as an insecticide against pests such as the red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum).

Plant in full sun to light shade in well-drained soil. Drought tolerant in coastal California. Tolerates winter temperatures of 20 to 25 degrees but best to protect from temperatures below 28° F that can damage foliage and discourage flowering. A great plant for the dry garden or used in large containers and an excellent long-lasting cut flower. Plant in the garden with only the top inch of the bulb above ground level and spaced well enough to allow individual clumps to spread - the recommendation is 18 to 24 inches apart. Soil needs to be freely draining and sandy soils are best but can be grown in heavier soils if on a slope. (Cactus Soil will be good for this plant.)

Please note:
No two plants are exactly the same, that’s what makes them so unique! There may be some slight variations in height, width, amount of leaves, etc. We do our best to keep our listings updated. As these are live plants, they change frequently.

Part of what makes succulents so fascinating are the myriad ways they express themselves throughout the year, depending on light, season, temperature, soil, and hydration. For those and other reasons, the plants you receive may not look exactly as they appear in the pictures.

*** We DO NOT accept returns or exchanges.

** Part of what makes succulents so fascinating are the myriad ways they express themselves throughout the year, depending on light, season, temperature, soil, and hydration. For those and other reasons, the plants you receive may not look exactly as they appear in the pictures.

*We are closed on SATURDAY, so expect a 1-day delay on purchases and inquiries. Thank you for understanding.

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