Allium roseum

Rosy garlic
	Inflorescence of Allium roseum, blooming in Brest, France
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Amaryllidaceae
Subfamily:	Allioideae
Genus:	Allium
Species:	A. roseum
Binomial name
	Allium roseum; L.
Synonyms
	Molium roseum (L.) Fourr.; Nectaroscordum roseum (L.) Galasso & Banfi;

Allium roseum, commonly called rosy garlic, is an edible, Old World species of garlic native to much of Europe and the Mediterranean region, northern Africa, and western Asia, but widely naturalized outside this range.

Description

A. roseum grows naturally to about 18 inches (46 cm) high in well-drained soils, and blooms from late spring to early summer.^[3]

The inflorescences of A. roseum are umbels. The loose, fragrant florets are about 3 inches (76 mm) long, having six pinkish to lilac tepals.^[3]

The smell and flavour of the bulb is powerful enough to drive squirrels and browsing deer away from gardens, where they are planted as ornamental flowers. For this reason, they are suitable as companion plants to tulips and the like.^[3]

Distribution

Allium roseum is native to the Mediterranean Basin. It is known from Portugal, Spain, France, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, mainland Italy, Greece, Albania, Turkey, Morocco, Algeria, and the former Yugoslavia. It has been introduced to many other parts of the world and become naturalised in several places, including Great Britain, the Canary Islands, Madeira, South Australia and New Zealand.^[2]

Taxonomy

Allium roseum was originally described and published by Carl Linnaeus in his Species Plantarum in 1753.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b GRIN (January 22, 2007). "Allium roseum information from NPGS/GRIN". Taxonomy for Plants. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland: USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
^ ^a ^b "Allium roseum L." eMonocot. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Tips on Growing Allium Roseum". Gardening Central. Archived from the original on 12 August 2010. Retrieved July 29, 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

External links

Media related to Allium roseum at Wikimedia Commons

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[GRIN-1] GRIN (January 22, 2007). "Allium roseum information from NPGS/GRIN". Taxonomy for Plants. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland: USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Retrieved July 28, 2010.

[eMonocot-2] "Allium roseum L." eMonocot. Retrieved October 28, 2013.

[gc-3] "Tips on Growing Allium Roseum". Gardening Central. Archived from the original on 12 August 2010. Retrieved July 29, 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

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