Cila da Madeira (Scilla maderensis var. maderensis)

Herb to 50 cm tall, with a large bulb. Leaves (6-10) are glabrous, green or glaucous, up to 40 cm long, lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate and are shed in summer (geophyte). Flowers are lilac-blue, odourless and small, and clustered in a cylindrical or conical inflorescence. This native of Madeira, Porto Santo and the Desertas Islands grows mainly in the rocky and stony ground of coastal areas, although it can ascend to 1,000 m. It is rare and relegated to very few spots on Deserta Grande and Porto Santo. This plant is used as an ornamental in public gardens on the main island to recreate the typical vegetation of xeric and thermophile habitats. A fine example is the Núcleo dos dragoeiros das Neves (dragon tree park), which belongs to Madeira Nature Reserve. The other variety of this species, S. melliodora, is native to the Savage Islands.