This month, we pass by the Mediterranean Garden and the northern entrance of the Stavros Niarchos Park and we stand to notice the Sea Squill (Drimia Maritima).
It is an impressive bulbous plant that stands out in the Mediterranean landscape with the beginning of fall, symbolizing the new start. It is said that the sea squill blooms when summer ends.
With the advent of September, its long flowering shoot rises more than one meter above the ground. Its small, white, star-shaped flowers bloom around the stem. More than 50 flowers cover each bunch that shape the inflorescences. The broad and lanceolate leaves have a dark green color and leather texture. The leaves appear at the base of the plant after flowering in mid-autumn and wither completely before summer. Moreover, the sea squill has a large bulb, that can reach up to 20 cm in diameter and weights around 2 kg.
It is impressive the fact that it does not need any water and thrives in places where the grazing is intense, while it is commonly seen in rocky coastal habitats. Found all the way from the sea level to the mountainous areas, in the forests and the olive groves. The plant has two different ways of pollination, one is from insects and the other one is from the wind.
Sea squill has been used for its healing, medicinal properties since antiquity and has appeared in texts since the 16th century BC. At the same time, it is toxic, as it contains in all its parts the toxic compound scilliroside, a natural defense of the plant in animal grazing. Due to this compound, it is also used as a rodenticide. Its leaves lose their toxicity when they dry-out completely.
It is mentioned in text by Dioscourides and Pythagoras for its use as an amulet for the houses, symbolizing the power that transcends the summer drought to autumn bloom. So far it is given as a charm for door hanging in New Year’s Eve.
