Onions & Garlics
Amaryllis Family - Amaryllidaceae
Rosy Garlic Allium roseumIntroduced from the Mediterranean region as a garden ornamental and previously grown as a crop. Widespread on St Mary's and St Martin's. Flowers May to June. Flowerheads often a mix of flowers and bulbils, or occasionally only bulbils; tepals clear pink, showy. Leaves flat or slightly keeled, glossy on the underside. Garlic smell.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
Neapolitan Garlic Allium neapolitanum
Introduced from southern Europe. A few scattered records from St Mary's and St Martin's. Flowers March to May. Flowers with greyish-green anthers, tepals all white on both sides. Leaves flat in cross-section with hairless margins. Garlic smell.
| |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
Three-cornered Garlic Allium triquetrum
Introduced from southern Europe. An abundant plant throughout the inhabited islands and on Samson. Flowers March to May (occasionally earlier). Flowerheads slightly pendulous and one-sided, tepals with a green stripe. Leaves strongly three-sided (keeled) in cross-section. Garlic smell.
 |
|
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
Wild Leek Allium ampeloprasum var. ampeloprasum
Introduced to the UK from southern Europe as an early vegetable before the development of the cultivated Leek. Recorded only from around the Garrison, St Mary's where it was most likely introduced during the time that the garrison was an active defence facility. Flowers July to August. Inflorescence with flowers only (no bulbils); flower tepals pink or white. Flower spathe usually falling off just before flowering time. Style longer than tepals. Leaves flat or slightly keeled, blue-green. Onion smell. Base of plant forming a bulb and with bulblets beneath the outer layers.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
Babington's Leek Allium ampeloprasum var. babingtonii
Considered native to southwest England, Wales and western Ireland but thought to be introduced on the Isles of Scilly. Very common throughout much of the inhabited islands. Flowers July to August. Inflorescence with flowers and bulbils; flower tepals pink. Flower spathe usually falling off just before flowering time. Style longer than tepals. Leaves flat or slightly keeled, blue-green. Onion smell. Base of plant forming a bulb and with bulblets beneath the outer layers.
| |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
Wild Onion Allium viniale
(Crow Garlic) Native. Uncommon on St Mary's and St Martin's. Flowers June to July. Flowerheads may consist of pink flowers, reddish or brownish bulbils, or a combination of the two, though heads with bulbils seem to be the norm on Scilly. Bulbils often sprout green shoots before falling. Spathe with the beak as long as or slightly longer than the base. Leaves narrow (to 4mm wide), hollow-tubular, appearing in clusters and typically upright, but sometimes cork-screwed. Onion smell.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
Honeybells Nothoscordum x borbonicum
(Nothoscordum entrerianum x N. gracile) Introduced from Argentina as a garden ornamental. Scarce as a garden escape and recorded at scattered location on the larger inhabited islands. Flowers April to June or occasionally later. Differs from Allium species in having the tepals fused together at the base, the lack of an onion or garlic smell and the style arising from the top (not base) of the ovary.
 |
 |
 |
|
| |
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
| |
|
|