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Urginea maritima - (L.)Baker.

Sea Squill

Author	(L.)Baker.	Botanical references	50, 200
Family	Hyacinthaceae	Genus	Urginea
Synonyms	Drimia maritima - (L.)Stearn. Urginea scilla - Steinh.
Known Hazards	The bulb is poisonous in large doses[4, 19]. The red form especially has a fairly specific action on rats[4, 57, 171]. The fresh bulb contains an acrid juice that can cause skin blisters[4].
Range	Europe - Mediterranean.
Habitat	Dry sandy places, especially near the coast[4, 45, 50].
Edibility Rating	0 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	3 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Bulb growing to 1m by 0.3m.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.

Habitats

Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Antidandruff; Cardiotonic; Diuretic; Emetic; Expectorant.

Sea squill contains cardiac glycosides which are strongly diuretic and relatively quick-acting[254]. They do not have the same cumulative effect as those present in foxglove (Digitalis spp.)[254]. The bulb has been widely used by herbalists, mainly for its effect upon the heart and for its stimulating, expectorant and diuretic properties[4]. The fresh bulb is slightly more active medicinally than the dried bulb, but it also contains a viscid acrid juice that can cause skin inflammations[4]. This is a very poisonous plant and it should only be used under the supervision of a qualified practitioner[238]. The dried bulb is cardiotonic, strongly diuretic, emetic when taken in large doses and expectorant[4, 46, 57, 61, 89, 165, 171, 254]. The bulb can weigh up to 2 kilos[4]. It is used internally in the treatment of bronchitis, bronchitic asthma, whooping cough and oedema[238] and is a potential substitute for foxglove in aiding a failing heart[254]. The bulb is harvested in the autumn, sliced transversally and dried for later use[238]. Externally, the bulb has been used in the treatment of dandruff and seborrhoea[238].

Other Uses

Miscellany.

The red bulb form of this species contains the poisonous substance 'scilliroside'[238]. This substance is poisonous to rodents but does not kill other species (which vomit instead)[238].

Cultivation details

Succeeds in ordinary garden soil according to one report[1], whilst another says that it requires a very free draining gritty or sandy soil in full sun[200]. The bulbs have a summer resting period and should be kept dry at this time[188]. Some protection from winter wet is strongly recommended[200]. Easily grown in a warm sunny position[90]. A very ornamental plant, it is not very hardy in Britain according to one report[1], whilst another says that it can be grown in N. European gardens[200] though it does not flower very freely there[90, 200]. Another report says that the plant can tolerate temperatures down to about -7°c[238]. The bulb should be only partially buried[200]. This species is cultivated in the Mediterranean area for its use in the drug industry[238]. The bulbs are harvested after 6 years growth with a yield of about 25,000 bulbs per hectare[238]. There are two main forms of this species, one has a white bulb and the other has a red one. The red bulb is the form that is used as a rat poison whilst the white bulb is used as a cardiotonic. Another report says that herbalists do not distinguish between the two forms[4]. Only the red form contains the rat poison 'scilliroside', though both forms can be used medicinally[238]. The bulb is very tenacious of life, one specimen that had been stored for 20 years in a museum was found to be trying to grow[4]. A good bee plant[89].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse[188]. Sow the seed thinly so that the seedlings can be left in the pot for their first growing season. Give them regular liquid feeds when in active growth to ensure that they do not suffer nutrient deficiency. Divide the young bulbs once the plant becomes dormant, placing 2- 3 bulbs in each put. Grow them on for at least another year in pots and plant them out into their permanent positions when they are dormant. Division of offsets in late summer when the bulb is dormant[188, 238]. Larger bulbs can be replanted immediately into their permanent positions. It is probably best to pot up smaller bulbs and grow them on in a greenhouse for a year before planting them out when they are dormant in late summer.

Cultivars

No entries have been made for this species as yet.

Links

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[19] Stary. F. Poisonous Plants. Hamlyn 1983 ISBN 0-600-35666-3
Not very comprehensive, but easy reading.

[45] Polunin. O. Flowers of Greece and the Balkans. Oxford University Press 1980 ISBN 0-19-217626-9
A good pocket flora, it also lists quite a few plant uses.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[50] ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964
An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.

[57] Schery. R. W. Plants for Man. 0
Fairly readable but not very comprehensive. Deals with plants from around the world.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[89] Polunin. O. and Huxley. A. Flowers of the Mediterranean. Hogarth Press 1987 ISBN 0-7012-0784-1
A very readable pocket flora that is well illustrated. Gives some information on plant uses.

[90] Phillips. R. and Rix. M. Bulbs Pan Books 1989 ISBN 0-330-30253-1
Superbly illustrated, it gives brief details on cultivation and native habitat.

[165] Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism. 0
An excellent small herbal.

[171] Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952
Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Urginea maritima

Thu Dec 30 07:35:54 2004

This plant is found in Malta/Mediterranean basin/Europe

More comprehensive details, medicinal properties, uses, botanical data, plant description and photogallery of high resolutions photos of this plant can be seen on an interesting website about the wild plants of Malta: www.maltawildplants.com

Link: Malta Wild Plants Website and photography by Stephen Mifsud, Malta.

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