Scientific: Urginea maritima (syn. Drimia maritima)
Common: red squill,sea squill, sea onion
Family: Hyacinthaceae
Origin: Sea squill is native to rocky outcroppings hillsides and slopes and sandy, coastal areas along the Mediterranean

Hardiness zones:
Sunset 12-24
USDA 8-11

Landscape Use: Filler and/or accent plant, rock gardens, containers, flower borders, small and narrow landscape planter areas in close proximity to people. landscape areas

Character: Evergreen, short, clumping, clean.

Growth Habit: Herbaceous perennial growing to 3' in height with equal spread, basally clumping from bulbs that rest at ground level. The bulbs split dichotomously from the apex rather than forming basal offsets. Over time each plant will grow massive clumps of up to 20 bulbs per plant.

Foliage/texture: Elongated and succulent, sword like green leaves, glaborous, up to 2' in length, leaves turn a dull bluish-green when drought steessed; coarse texture.

Flowers & fruits: Beautiful stalks of white flowers sometimes tinged with purple-red striations on the sepals.

Seasonal color: Flowering late summer or late autumn. Rarely flowers in Phoenix (bummer!).

Temperature: Suprisingly tolerant of desert heat.

Light: Shade to mostly full sun. Avoid strong western exposures.

Soil: Tolerant

Watering: Regular supplemental water is required.

Pruning: None required

Propagation: Division of clumps

Disease and pests: None

Additional comments: Red squill is a tough plant. It preforms amazingly well under almost full sun conditions in Phoenix. Red squill is long known to have medicinal properties. One wouldn't expect that top be true given its relatively large green leaves and short stature. Ancient Egyptians called red squill "Ein Sit", the god who resists the sun, since it only blooms in autumn. According to tradition, Urginea maritima is planted in the vicinity of Arab graves, to protect them.

Red squill has been subjected to severe uprooting and collection of the bulb's fleshy scales by pharmaceutical companies in its native range. The bulb scales are odourless or with a slight odour, and have a mucilagenous, bitter acrid and disagreable taste. The red bulb (variety rubra) contains the rat poison "scilliroside", whilst the white bulb (normal bulb color) is used as a cardiotonic. The most important medical property of the red squill is it's ability to stimulate heart activity.