Liliaceae

M. coeleste Fomin in Monit. Jard. Bot. Tiflis 9:11, t. 1 (1908). Syn: Hyacinthella turkewiczii Woronow to Not. Syst, (Leningrad) 5:88 (1924); Mwcari elegans Grossh., Fl. Kavk. ed. 1 :237 (1928); M. turkewiczii (Woronow) Los.-Los. in Fl. URSS 4:420 (1955). Figure 12. Map 41.
Bulb 8-15 mm diam., without offsets, Leaves 2-3, linear -lanceolate, 5-14 cm x 3-7 mm, canaliculate, rather prominently veined, tapering to a point. Scape 6-12 cm. Raceme somewhat laxly ovoid to broadly cylindrical, 1-3 x 1-2 cm, only 6-25-flowered. Pedicels 2-4 mm, recurred in flower, patent in fruit. Flowers apparently all hermaphrodite, subcampanulate (obconical when pressed), 4-6 mm long, c. 4-5 mm broad at apex, not constricted, sky blue (drying pale blue or violet-blue); lobes 1.5-2 mm, slightly recurred, ovate with slender darker blue fascia continuing down perianth tube into the lobes. Stamens biseriate, attached in lower haif of tube, Capsule suborbicular, emar-ginate, bluish, c. 5 x 6 mm. Fl 4-3. Rocky mountain slopes, pastures, passes, by melting snow, 1615-2820 m.
Type: [Turkey A9 Kars] Armenia rossica ad urbem Kars, König (holo. TBI, photo!).
Mainly E. Anatolia. A8 Gümüşane: Kop Da. Pass, 2600 m, Furse & Synge 871a (in fruit)! A9 Çoruh: upper part of Chatila Su, 2740-2820 m, Turcevicz 929 (type of Hyacinthella turkewiczii, photo!). B5 Kayseri: Bakir Da. S.E. of Kayseri, 2000 m, Mathew & Tomlinson 4097! 87 Erzincan: Sakaltutan pass, 2100 m, T. Baytop (lSTE 34913); ibid., Leep & Pssche 72/59 (cult.)! Refahiye to Erzincan, 1920 m, Balls 265! B8 Erzurum: Palandöken Da. pass W. of Erzurum, 2300 m, Mathew & Tomlinson 4311! B10 Ağri: 5 km N. of Doğubayazit, D.M. Brown 408!
Endemic. Ir.-Tur. element. Probably nearest to the N. Iranian M. pseudo-muscari (Boiss. & Buhse) Wendelbo (M. chaiusicum Stuart). M. turkewiczii seems to fall within the range of if. coeleste hut we have seen no living material of either. Differences in flower shape(e.g. presence or absence of protuberances) are apparently due to distortion on pressing and disappear when flowers are boiled up. The prominent leaf venation of M. coeleste is a feature of Hyacinth-ella.