Few-Flowered Leek

Description

Allium paradoxum (synonyms: Scilla paradoxa) the few-flowered garlic 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 and invasive in Europe. Allium paradoxum is a herbaceous perennial growing from a small solitary bulb to about 20–40 cm (7.9–15.7 in) in height. It has much narrower leaves, from 5 to 25 mm (0.20 to 0.98 in) 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. Allium paradoxum is native to mountainous regions of Iran, Caucasus, and Turkmenistan. It was introduced to the British Isles in 1823 and was first recorded in the wild there in 1863, near Edinburgh. It is generally a lowland plant, and the highest record for Britain comes from Carter Bar at 375 m (1,230 ft). 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 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. Allium paradoxum is native to mountainous regions of Iran, Caucasus, and Turkmenistan. It was introduced to the British Isles in 1823 and was first recorded in the wild there in 1863, near Edinburgh. It is generally a lowland plant, and the highest record for Britain comes from Carter Bar at 375 m (1,230 ft). 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 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. Allium is a genus of monocotyledonous flowering plants that includes hundreds of species, including the cultivated onion, garlic, scallion, shallot, leek, and chives. The generic name Allium is the Latin word for garlic, and the type species for the genus is Allium sativum which means "cultivated garlic". Carl Linnaeus first described the genus Allium in 1753. Some sources refer to Greek ἀλέω (aleo, to avoid) by reason of the smell of garlic.