Several unrelated flowers are called bluebell, but the bulbuous hebacious perrenial wildflower we know as ‘Native English Bluebell’ (in Scotland ‘Wood Hyacinth’) is a member of the lily family and is found in shaded or semi-shaded conditions frequently carpeting the woodland floor in the spring.

As its latin name Hyathincoides Nonscripta (formely Scilla Nonscripta) implies, it is related to the hyacinth with a noticeable similarity between the two in the scent; that of the bluebell is similar but more delicate. Nonscripta literally means without writing – the petals are plain blue with no markings. Occasionally white blooms appear in the English bluebell; in any large patch one or two white individuals will be seen. This rare occurrence is not by itself a sign of hybridization; the genetic makeup of the bluebell is such that occasionally a white individual will appear.

The bluebell is one of several species of plant that indicate an ancient woodland because their thick carpets take centuries to form naturally. They propagate by seed, which are too heavy to be borne by the wind and so spread relatively slowly, and by natural division of the bulbs underground, much like daffodil. Bluebell are good competitors and will colonize an area, gradually dominating other spring flowers partly by giving off underground chemicals which inhibit other plants.

There are two natural forms of Hyacinthoides, the Native English Bluebell Hyathincoides Nonscripta and the Spanish Bluebell Hyacinthoides Hispanica. These two forms readily cross pollinate to form hybrids. Formerly this was exploited by nurserymen to produce a range of colours of hybrid bluebells from white through pink and mauve. Sadly, because they breed so easily it is now known that the very existence of the natural native species is threatened by hybridization with flowers from nearby gardens. Because bees range over several square kilometres in gathering nectar and spreading pollen, this threat is very serious. As one conservationist put it ‘in some English counties the battle is lost’. There is no point in sneering at the Spanish variety; it is a unique species with a character of its own. But those who love the English version would bemoan the loss of its scent and delicately curving deep blue petals.

There are several differences between the natural Spanish and English Bluebells. However the characteristics of hybrids will cover the full range between the two. For a guide to the differences, click here, courtesy of plantlife.org.

How to tell if a bluebell is native or not ?

Although residents and visitors to Britain may be impressed by the profuse woodland carpets of bluebell in early May each year, the geographical range of the Native English Bluebell is very limited. Bluebell is an ‘Atlantic’ species not reaching further east than western Germany and absent from Scandinavia. Widely distributed and common throughout the United Kingdom, Britain’s bluebell colonies are of international importance as around half of the world population is found in the UK.

Hyacinthoides Nonscripta is a species facing multiple threats: by habitat destruction, by overpopulation of deer (particulary Muntjac who eat the young bluebell plants just before flowering), by hybridisation with its Spanish cousin and by climate change (if the climate of Britain warms a few degrees it will fail to germinate after mild winters).
It is intolerant of trampling, heavy grazing, water logging, deep shade and competing with vigorous grasses.

We love our bluebells. By careful management of existing plantations, by establishment of new plantations, by removing hybrids and non-native species and by restoration of damaged populations, they may yet be saved.