Allium amethystinum is a bulbous herbaceous perennial in the family Amaryllidaceae, native to Italy, Greece, Turkey, Sicily, Crete, Malta, Albania, Bulgaria, and the former Yugoslavia, and cultivated elsewhere as an ornamental.[2] It is one of several species that horticulturalists refer to as "drumstick onions" because of the tight spherical "knob" of flowers at the top, resembling a drumstick.[3][4]
| Round-headed leek Aglio ametistino | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Allium amethystinum 'Red Mohican' | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Spermatophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Amaryllidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Allioideae |
| Genus: | Allium |
| Subgenus: | A. subg. Allium |
| Species: | A. amethystinum |
| Binomial name | |
| Allium amethystinum | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Description
editAllium amethystinum has a single bulb. Leaves are tubular, withering before flowering time. Up to the time of flowering the flower stem is bent, straightening only just before blooming.[5] Flowers are reddish-purple, the tepals barely opening at flowering time, remaining wrapped around the ovary and filaments so that only the anthers and stigma are exposed.[6][7] Plants grow to 90–120 cm (3–4 ft) in height.
Habitat
editThe species is native to rocky soils in the eastern and central Mediterranean regions.[8]
Cultivation
editAllium amethystinum is easily grown in fertile, well-drained soils in full sun. It is drought-tolerant once established and prefers dry conditions in summer. The flowers are rich in nectar and attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. The seed heads are ornamental and persist for several weeks after flowering. The plant naturalizes easily and returns year after year. Propagation is by offsets in autumn.[9]
The cultivar "Red Mohican" is a widely grown ornamental selection, notable for its deep wine-red inflorescences with a distinctive crested tuft of buds that open to white florets.[10]
References
edit- ↑ The Plant List
- ↑ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
- ↑ Altervista, Schede di Botanica, Allium amethystinum
- ↑ Pacific Bulb Society, Milwaukie, Oregon USA. Drumstick onions
- ↑ "Allium amethystinum 'Red Mohican'". Nijssen Bulbs. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
- ↑ Ignaz Friedrich Tausch. 1828. Syll. Ratlb. ii. 256.
- ↑ "Malta Wild Plants, Round-headed leek". Archived from the original on 2014-04-17. Retrieved 2014-03-28.
- ↑ "Allium amethystinum 'Red Mohican'". Nijssen Bulbs. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
- ↑ "Allium amethystinum 'Red Mohican'". Gardenia.net. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
- ↑ "Allium amethystinum 'Red Mohican'". Gardenia.net. Retrieved 2024-01-01.