Allium paradoxum
| Few-flowered garlic | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Allium paradoxum | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Amaryllidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Allioideae |
| Genus: | Allium |
| Species: | A. paradoxum |
| Binomial name | |
| Allium paradoxum (M.Bieb.) G.Don | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Allium paradoxum, the few-flowered garlic[2] or few-flowered leek, is an Asian species of wild onion in the Amaryllis family. It is native to mountainous regions of Iran, Caucasus, and Turkmenistan.
Description
Allium paradoxum is a herbaceous perennial growing from a small solitary bulb to about 20–40 cm in height. It has much narrower leaves, from 5 to 25 mm wide, than Allium ursinum but a similar 'garlicky' smell. The flower stem is triangular in section. Most of the flowers are replaced by little bulbs or bulbils and the few (usually only one) proper flowers are white and hermaphrodite.[3]
Distribution
Allium paradoxum is native to mountainous regions of Iran, Caucasus, and Turkmenistan.[1][4][5][6][7]
It was introduced to the British Isles in 1823 and was first recorded in the wild in 1863 near Edinburgh.[8] It is considered an invasive, non-native species in Europe. In England and Wales, the species is listed on Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act[9] and as such, it is illegal to plant in the wild. The smell of the plant is particularly noticeable to a person who is approaching an area where it is growing.[10]
Habitat
It grows well in deciduous woodland habitats, forming a green carpet that can smother other native species such as bluebells and snowdrops.[10][11]
Cuisine
The Few-flowered Leek is edible and can be eaten raw as well as made into dishes such as pesto. It can also be used as a herb to flavour food, much in the same way as other wild garlics.
References
- 1 2 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
- ↑ "BSBI List 2007". Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-02-25. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
- ↑ "Allium paradoxum - (M.Bieb.) G.Don.". Plants for a Future. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
- ↑ Marschall von Bieberstein, Friedrich August. 1819. Flora Taurico-Caucasica 3: 267-268 in Latin, as Scilla paradoxa
- ↑ Don, George 1832. Memoirs of the Wernerian Natural History Society 6: 72 description in Latin, commentary in English
- ↑ Komarov, V.L. (ed.) (1935). Flora SSSR 4: 1-586. Izdatel'stov Akademii Nauk SSSR, Leningrad.
- ↑ Takhtajan, A.L. (ed.) (2006). Conspectus Florae Caucasi 2: 1-466. Editio Universitatis Petropolitanae
- ↑ "Online Atlas of the British and Irish Flora, Allium paradoxum (Few-flowered garlic)". Biological Records Centre and Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland.
- ↑ "Plants listed on Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act in England and Wales". Plantlife. 2010. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
- 1 2 "Allium paradoxum (Few-flowered Garlic)". Online Atlas of the British and Irish Flora. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
- ↑ Lambion, J., Delvosalle, L. & Duvigneaud, J. (2004). Nouvelle flore de la Belgique du G. D. de Luxembourg, du Nord de la France et des régions voisines , ed. 5: 1-1167. Edition du Patrimoine du Jardin botanique national de Belgique