Hyacinth

hi'a-sinth, a bulbous plant of the lily family. There are over thirty species, chiefly natives of south Africa or the Mediterranean coast. The common hyacinth has half a dozen long, thick, green leaves and a central flower stalk bearing a cylindrical mass of fragrant, funnel-shaped flowers in many colors. The perfume is strongest during the middle hours of the night. Easily cultivated from bulbs. In Greek mythology there is a legend that the hyacinths sprang from drops of blood shed by the hero Ajax. See Ajax