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Drimia maritima
Also called Maritime Squill, Red Squill, Sea Onion, Squill
Sea squill is a large bulbous perennial from the Mediterranean that produces leaves in spring, dies back in summer, and sends up a tall flower spike in autumn. It thrives in full sun to part shade with a dry summer rest, and its bulb is the part that matters most for care and toxicity.
Drimia maritima (syn. Urginea maritima) is 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, and maritime squill. It may also be called red squill, particularly a form which produces red-tinged flowers instead of white, though it is likely the red color noted is actually referring to the bulb itself, not the flowers. It is native to southern Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa.
This plant often grows in rocky coastal habitat, especially in the Mediterranean Basin, where it is common. It occurs in many other types of habitat, except for the driest deserts. It can grow in open and also in very shady areas. 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.
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. The broad leaves of this plant, when they completely dry out, lose their toxicity and are consumed by cattle and sheep. In Palestine and Israel, Arab farmers are known to use the plant to mark the butts and bounds of farm land, on account of the plant's distinct features. In Israel, it is traditionally considered a "harbinger of fall", and its Hebrew name "hatzav" shares a linguistic root with the words to dig or quarry, much like the bulb digs its roots into the ground.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Drimia maritima by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
