Blooming in September: Sea Squill – חצב מצוי

September 2019 Elul תשע"ט

What’s in bloom in Israel this month?

Sea Squill or Medicinal Squill, חצב מצוי, Chatzav Matzui

Each stage of Aliyah brings its new challenges.  I remember when the children started kindergarten it involved a whole new vocabulary.  They would come home from nursery in mid September talking about the signs that  Autumn is a coming - the Nachlieli (wagtail) bird that is making Aliyah for the winter and the Chatzav (white squill) that is growing out of the dry soil. It took me many years to realize that the squill doesn't appear in time for Kindergarten starting but is already in full bloom by mid August in some places.

The squill appears without any prior warning.  One day there's no sign of it, no x marks the spot, no giant bush about to bloom, and the next it's waving its white head merrily in the air.  It is an incredible sight especially as one’s eyes are weary of the endless sea of dry shrub, thorns and dusty brown that typify the end of the Israeli summer.

Even if you don’t go into nature, a short trip on Road 6 is enough to catch a glimpse of the squills waving at you from the sides of the road.  Many people think it is accidental that so many of them happen to be growing along the way.  However this is actually the result of intense planning.  Dafna Helvitz, the agronomist in charge of planting at Park Ariel Sharon where I also guide, and the ecologist Aviva Rabinowitz z"l were responsible for the gardening along Route 6 and together with Zionseeds they collected bulbs that would have been destroyed and replanted them there. Worth making a road trip!

The squill flowers through August and September and it has up to 250 small blossoms which gradually open in groups of 30 from the bottom up.  Because it flowers when most others don’t it doesn’t have much competition from pollinators! As we know monopolies have an advantage. It can grow as tall as 2 meters and its height is its most significant feature. 

Why would the squill grow so tall? What is its benefit?  I recommend you step outside and feel the change in the air. By the beginning of September the unbearable heat I experience while guiding becomes tolerable due to a gentle  breeze and even an occasional strong wind. The squill uses this breeze to wave back and forth and thereby spread its seed as far as possible, the taller it is the further its seed will fall. Each plant  employs its own method for spreading its seeds.

Once the flower dies there is no more sign of it, however it hasn’t really disappeared without a trace.  The squill has actually sprouted out of a bulb hidden underground.  This bulb is the biggest bulb in Israel and can grow up to 25 cm in diameter. One mustn’t touch it though as it is very poisonous and  you need to wear gloves in order to dig them up or plant them. I remember the funny sight of Elizabeth, my children’s school nature teacher, lugging these giant bulbs to the school garden with her gloves on. When I mentioned the chatzav to my daughter her first reaction was "Elizabeth says they are poisonous". That was ten years after learning that! It is actually one of the rare poisonous plants in Israel.

A plant that grows out of a bulb is called a geophyte, basically an underground storage system to help it survive in difficult conditions such as excessive heat or cold, lack of light or drought.  The squill bulb definitely helps it get through the intensely hot and dry Israeli summer.  This bundle of underground nutrients is very attractive to wild animals, especially wild boar and gazelles, which is why it excretes toxins to make it inedible to others.

One of my favourite sights is when the first squill leaves peep out of the ground in November. The leaves are very large and lush with a waxy sheen, certainly enough to tempt a leaf starved herbivore like the gazelle.  The gazelle knows that the plant is toxic and will therefore only nibble the leaves until halfway down.  By February all the leaves in Neot Kedumim are left with a half eaten look.

Our sages mention that the squill is what Joshua used as a way to mark boundaries between neighbouring farmers and tribes in the land of Israel.  Its timing is perfect as its flowers and then leaves poke out just in time for ploughing the fields for the wheat and barley season.  Also its toxicity can cause blistering of the skin which might deter people from sabotaging the natural fencing. It can be used in small amounts to produce a medicine for certain heart conditions and also as a poison for getting rid of rodents!

Winter Tourists at Neot Kedumim will always enquire about the impressive looking squill leaves.  However I have to tell them that in order to see the flower they need to return in September, which is a long wait.  Nature requires a lot of patience.  These leaves will gather the nutrition required from the sun and rain to fill the bulb until they wilt at the end of spring.  They will then disappear without a trace until the flower peeps out anew in August.  Those of us lucky to live here can get to see both phenomena.

For nature watchers the squill is definitely the sign for the new year, changing of the seasons, new start, new school year, Rosh Hashana and many other beginnings.  I came across this poem in Hebrew and with these words I wish everyone a happy and healthy new year.   

White squill is flowering  - it’s whole being is flowers

“What hint does the squill give me? Each one of your lovely flowers”

“I’ll hint at a year of plenty – a year of consolation

l”ll hint at a year of satiety – peace between the nations”

Author Unknown

Photos by Yasmin Maissel