ヒアシンスはギリシア神話の美少年の名前ヒュアキントスが語源になっています。
ヒュアキントスは、アポロンの愛童となったが、彼に横恋慕した西風の神ゼヒュロスが嫉妬して、風を吹かせ、遊技の最中にアポロンの投げた円盤を彼の額に命中させ、落命させた。このとき傷口から流れた血から生じたのが、ヒアシンスの花で、神の嘆きを表すＡＩ ＡＩ（ああ！）の字の花弁をもつヒアシンスが生じたという。
Facts About Hyacinths
An ancient Greek legend describes the origin of the Hyacinth. Two of the gods, Apollo and Zephyr, adored a handsome young Greek called Hyakinthos. Apollo was teaching Hyakinthos the art of throwing a discus.
Zephyr, who was the god of the west wind, was overcome with jealousy and he blew the discus back. It struck Hyakinthos on the head and killed him. From his blood grew a flower, which the sun god Apollo named after him.
The word 'Hyacinth' has also surfaced in an ancient language (called 'Thracopelasgian'), which was spoken 4,000 years ago.
The wild Hyacinth is a native of Turkey and the Middle East, along the eastern shores of the Mediterranean. Hyacinths were grown in Europe in the time of the Greeks and Romans. Both Homer and Virgil noted the sweet fragrance.
After this, the Hyacinth faded from history, and did not reappear until the 16th century when it was reintroduced into Western Europe from Turkey and Iran. Leonhardt Rauwolf, (a German doctor) collected some Hyacinths when he visited Turkey in 1573.
Hyacinths have been cultivated commercially since the second half of the 16th century. They became very popular in 18th and early 19th century Europe.
The bulbs are now grown commercially in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. In the Netherlands Hyacinths are also grown as cut flowers.
The common garden Hyacinth is cultivated to a minor extent in the Netherlands for the perfumery trade. However, most Hyacinth perfume sold is synthetic, based primarily upon phenylacetaldehyde. Hence, the Hyacinth is also called the Dutch Hyacinth.
The normal bloom time for Hyacinths is March to April.
March 7th is the World Hyacinth Day.
In the Victorian language of flowers the Hyacinth flower symbolizes sport or play, and the blue Hyacinth signifies sincerity.
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Hyacinth ヒヤシンス学名：
Hyacinthus
[今日の記事]Hyacinth, Hyacinthus
Grown for their dense spikes of highly fragrant, tubular flowers, hyacinths have been popular spring-flowering bulbs for centuries.
Recommended varieties
These powerfully scented flowers are some of the first to bloom after winter. They're most effective planted in blocks of a single colour along a path or in containers near the house, where their fragrance can be fully appreciated.
Specially-treated, winter-flowering bulbs are also available for indoor Christmas displays. After flowering, these forced bulbs can be planted outdoors in a sheltered spot.
Hyacinths were originally cultivated in Europe by the ancient Greeks and Romans. They take their name from Hyakinthos, a handsome young man from Greek mythology.
This early hyacinth, H. orientalis, was a simple species valued only for its scent. However, this was enough to ensure that when introduced in 17th-century Holland the bulbs were exorbitantly expensive and only available to the wealthiest flower collectors.
The hyacinth was so popular in the 18th century that more than 2,000 cultivars of H. orientalis were developed, producing plants with large, fragrant flower spikes in shades of red, blue, white, pink and yellow. All hyacinths found in the modern garden are a result of this process.
[出典]bbc
[単語チェック！]dense:密集した
spike:花序
tubular:管状の
appreciated:よさを味わう
mythology:神話
exorbitantly: 法外な
[英英辞典から]A bulbous Mediterranean plant (Hyacinthus orientalis) having narrow leaves and a terminal raceme of variously colored, usually fragrant flowers, with a funnel-shaped perianth. Also called jacinth.
★今週の花ブログ・ランキング
☆今週の英語ブログ・ランキング
