Allium vineale
Crow garlic | |
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Umbel showing bulbils and a few flowers | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Order: | Asparagales |
Family: | Amaryllidaceae |
Subfamily: | Allioideae |
Genus: | Allium |
Species: | A. vineale
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Binomial name | |
Allium vineale | |
Synonyms[1] | |
Synonymy
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Allium vineale (wild garlic, onion grass, crow garlic or stag's garlic) is a perennial, bulb-forming species of wild onion, native to Europe, northwestern Africa and the Middle East.[2] The species was introduced in Australia and North America, where it has become a noxious weed.[3][4][5][6][7]
Description
All parts of the plant have a strong garlic odour. The underground bulb is 1–2 cm diameter, with a fibrous outer layer. The main stem grows to 30–120 cm tall, bearing 2–4 leaves and an apical inflorescence 2–5 cm diameter comprising a number of small bulbils and none to a few flowers, subtended by a basal bract. The leaves are slender hollow tubes, 15–60 cm long and 2–4 mm thick, waxy texture, with a groove along the side of the leaf facing the stem. The inflorescence is a tight umbel surrounded by a membranous bract in bud which withers when the flowers open. Each individual flower is stalked and has a pinkish-green perianth 2.5 to 4.5 mm (3⁄32 to 3⁄16 in) long. There are six tepals, six stamens and a pistil formed from three fused carpels. Mixed with the flowers are several yellowish-brown bulbils. The fruit is a capsule but the seeds seldom set and propagation usually takes place when the bulbils are knocked off and grow into new plants.[8][9] Plants with no flowers, only bulbils, are sometimes distinguished as the variety Allium vineale var. compactum, but this character is probably not taxonomically significant.[citation needed]
Uses and invasiveness
The leaves, flowers, and bulbs of Allium vineale are edible.[10] While it has been suggested as a substitute for garlic, there is some difference of opinion as to whether there is an unpleasant aftertaste compared to that of common garlic (Allium sativum).[citation needed] It imparts a garlic-like flavour and odour on dairy and beef products when grazed by livestock. It is considered a pestilential invasive weed in the US, as grain products may become tainted with a garlic odour or flavour in the presence of aerial bulblets at the time of harvest.[11][12][13] Wild garlic is tolerant to herbicides, which cannot cling well to the vertical, smooth and waxy structure of its leaves.[14][15]
Allium vineale 'Hair', a cultivated variety, is sold as an ornamental plant in the UK and USA. It has unusual flowerheads which have purple centres and green hair-like extensions.[16][17]
See also
References
- ^ The Plant List
- ^ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
- ^ Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). "Allium vineale". Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
- ^ "Allium vineale". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014.
- ^ "Allium vineale". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture.
- ^ Weeds Australia, Australian Weeds Committee, Allium vineale Archived 2014-03-15 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Brewster, J. L. (2008). Onions and Other Alliums. (Wallingford: CABI Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84593-399-9.
- ^ "Wild garlic: Allium vineale". NatureGate. Retrieved 2013-12-31.
- ^ Davies, D. (1992). Alliums: The Ornamental Onions. (Portland: Timber Press. ISBN 0-88192-241-2.
- ^ "Allium vineale". North Carolina Cooperative Extension. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
The leaves, flowers, and bulbs are edible and can be used similarly to chives, although they tend to be a bit tougher.
- ^ Eric Block, "Garlic and Other Alliums: The Lore and the Science" (Cambridge: Royal Society of Chemistry, 2010)
- ^ James L. Brewster, "Onions and Other Alliums" (Wallingford: CABI Publishing, 2008)
- ^ Dilys Davies, "Alliums: The Ornamental Onions" (Portland: Timber Press, 1992)
- ^ Wild Garlic & Wild Onion. Clemson University. Retrieved May 12, 2013
- ^ Block, E. (2010). Garlic and Other Alliums: The Lore and the Science. (Cambridge: Royal Society of Chemistry. ISBN 978-0-85404-190-9.
- ^ "16 of the Prettiest Allium Varieties to Plant in Your Garden". Better Homes & Gardens. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
- ^ "Buy Allium Hair Bulbs | J Parker Dutch Bulbs". www.jparkers.co.uk. Retrieved 24 June 2021.