# striped squill (*Puschkinia scilloides*)

Striped squill is a beautiful flower that blooms in spring. It has lovely blue and white stripes that make it look like it's wearing a pretty dress!

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Snaps:** 1
- **Habitat:** Grasslands

![striped squill](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Puschkinia_scilloides_resize.JPG&width=800)

Photo: Algirdas at Lithuanian Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Puschkinia_scilloides_resize.JPG)

## Appearance

The striped squill has delicate, star-shaped flowers that are typically pale blue or white. Each petal features a distinctive darker blue stripe running down its center, creating a unique striped pattern. These small flowers grow in clusters at the top of slender stems.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Liliopsida
- **Order:** Asparagales
- **Family:** Asparagaceae
- **Genus:** Puschkinia

## Interesting facts

- If you look closely, the flower's stripes are made of tiny veins, guiding the flower's energy!
- It's one of the first flowers to pop up in spring, sometimes even before the last snow melts!
- Its name, Puschkinia, honors Count Apollo Mussin-Pushkin, a famous Russian botanist!
- Striped squill's tiny seeds can be carried away by ants to new places, helping it spread!

## Special abilities

- **Bulb Power:** Striped squill has a special underground bulb that stores food, helping it survive cold winters and sprout quickly in early spring.
- **Pollinator Beacon:** Its petals have tiny blue stripes that act like landing strips, guiding busy bees and other insects right to the flower's nectar.
- **Spreading Success:** This plant can multiply by growing small 'baby' bulbs, allowing it to spread and create beautiful carpets of flowers over time.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 10-20 cm
- **Spread:** 5-10 cm
- **Flower Size:** 1-2 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Early spring
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** Mild
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Gathers nectar and pollen from the flowers.
- **Pollinates:** buff-tailed bumblebee (*Bombus terrestris*) — Visits flowers for nectar, aiding in pollination.
- **Symbiotic with:** European fire ant (*Myrmica rubra*) — Disperses seeds with elaiosomes to their nests.

## Traits

- [Striped](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/striped): Marked with parallel bands or lines of color.
- [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
- [Cluster Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/cluster-flower): Cluster flowers are inflorescences where individual flowers are arranged closely together on a common stem.
- [Spring Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spring-blooming): Spring blooming plants produce their flowers during the spring season, often signifying the end of winter and the start of new growth.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals.
- [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.
- [Rapid Growing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/rapid-growing): Rapid growing plants exhibit accelerated growth rates, quickly increasing in size and biomass within a short period.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Always look but don't touch flowers without asking an adult.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify striped squill?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is striped squill?

10-20 cm

### How wide does striped squill spread?

5-10 cm

### How big are the flowers on striped squill?

1-2 cm

### When does striped squill bloom?

Early spring

### Is striped squill edible?

No

### Is striped squill toxic?

Mild

### What is striped squill's lifecycle?

Perennial

## Where to spot

- [Frelinghuysen Arboretum](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/frelinghuysen-arboretum) — New Jersey, US · Botanical Garden

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Striped Squill: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/striped-squill)