Allium 2013

[wmel]

some beauty's flowering now...

allium suaveolens
allium glandulosum

[TheOnionMan]

Two late blooming beauties there Wietse.  Must go out in the garden to see if I can find Allium suaveolens, I had it sent to me, collected from the type location.  This species is typically usurped by imposter A. senescens in cultivation, so it's nice to see the correct plant.

I am sad to have lost Allium glandulosum, from plants collected in San Luis Potosii in central Mexico by Thad Howard, they had been hardy outside for about 10 years, but perished in a year of terrible drought (can't remember if it was 2010 or 2011).  I had a second form of it from Kew, that spread a bit more (from stolons) which I was thankful for at the time; but as this is a moist growing species, lost that form too due to drought.

[Rimmer de Vries]

A friend sent me this image of Allium allegheniense Collected in the wild in Virginia.

"Its now lumped into A. cernuum, but is quite different from the Ohio forms of A. cernuum. It is extremely beautiful with many more flowers per inflorescence than A. cernuum."

[TheOnionMan]

Allium "allegheniense" has long been considered a synonym of Allium cernuum.  Allium cernuum grows throughout much of North America, from east coast to west coast, from Canada to Mexico, from high mountains, lower woodlands and prairies, to cobble stone beaches in Washington State, it is extremely variable. I have collected forms of Allium cernuum from a number of States, and acquired forms from collected sources in other States, it's amazing just how much variation there is. One of my favorites was Allium cernuum collected on Rich Mt in North Carolina by Dick Weaver (of We-Du gardens fame), a dwarf deep purple form, by far the smallest I encountered, by sadly I no longer have it.

The southeastern (Virginia & West Virginia) Allium "oxyphilum" was also described as a species, but is correctly a synonym of Allium cernuum, named by Wherry as a different species than cernuum on account of the white flowers, apparently white being rare in those southeastern States, however very common in other parts of the species' range. It has extra long thin pedicels, so it's a charming thing, but again clearly within the range of variability of the species, once the entire range is considered.

Marion Ownbey contributed much about what we know about North American Allium, he published A. cernuum var. neomexicanum and var. obtusum, based on minor differences, in part on the color difference of bulb coats, blood red "var. obtusum", white to pink in "var. neomexicanum".  He rescinded both varieties later on in his life, once realizing the cited differences don't hold once looking at a broader spectrum of collections from other states, but unfortunately the varietal names have a life of their own.

Of the more unusual forms observed, were large colonies growing not far above the ocean high water mark on Deception Pass, Whidbey Island, Washington.  Growing in full sun among rounded cobble stones, this is a very slender form, with outer and inner tepal whorls quite distinct and on different planes, rather then the more bell-shaped florets, but some cernuum forms do that.  Most were white to pale pink.

The North Carolina Native plant Society maintains "allegheniense" as a species, as regional wildflower groups like to hang onto such distinctions.  They say about this "species": Although not recognized by most recent authors, A. allegheniense seems distinctive enough in morphology, ecology, and distribution to warrant taxonomic recognition at some level; additional study is needed

The organization's purpose is stated as "to promote enjoyment and conservation of North Carolina's native plants and their habitats through education, protection, propagation, and advocacy", they are not actually a taxonomic authority.  The plants shown on their page look attractive, but clearly just another cernuum form, albeit a nice selection.
http://www.ncwildflower.org/index.php/plants/details/allium-allegheniense/

By the way Rimmer, it is a most attractive bright color, I like it!

[Stephenb]

Stephen, the allium from Oregon, are you saying it's an Allium collected and native to Oregon, or from a gardener in Oregon. Allium stellatum doesn't get as far west as Oregon, although there are discrepancies in the Flora of North America distribution map and the USDA (remember on the USDA maps, if a species just crosses into a State, the entire state gets colored in their maps).
USDA:
http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=ALST
FNA:
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=8565&flora_id=1

Both maps are flawed; as State floras record this species as occuring in many more Eastern States than either map shows, and I have a microfiche (microfilm archive documents) printout from one of Marion Ownbey's student, a thesis study on some North American Allium alliances, and A. stellatum goes much further east than generally recorded.

The plant you show is really attractive, with those rounded almost hood-like outer tepals, and erect nearly-closed inner tepals. There are forms of Allium cernuum that show more stronger than other forms, the divergence between the outer and inner tepals. Allium cernuum that I collected among a cobblestone beach at Deception Pass, Whidbey Island, Washington, just above Pacific Ocean high tide, an unlikely spot to be sure, but the allium grew in great numbers, was a smallish form with the three outer tepals flaring outwards, and the three inner ones in the rounded cup shape. At first glance your Oregon plant looks like a stellatum x cernuum hybrid, but if it was collected wild, then it must be a form of cernuum.

Love the shy A. wallichii photo (and beautiful blue stenoden too), I can germinate wallichii (sometimes), but after planting them out, they never make it past the first year, I think I'm giving them spots that are too dry.

The possible cernuum x stellatum hybrid came as seed from a guy in Oregon described as follows: "Wild Nodding Onion from coastal PNW. From slopes of Mt. Heahkahnie."
I don't know if he first grew it in a garden, but I think it unlikely to have crossed with stellatum.....I will try to ask....

Wallichii: they certainly thrive on wet...well adapted here and in the monsoon climate at home...and, to Maggi, I had a chuckle at your comment...

[wmel]

some pictures from yesterday

allium ramosum
allium senescens seed selections
butterfly

[John85]

Alliums are amongst the plants most visited by bees in my garden.
What are the species that have the most nectar?

[wmel]

Alliums are amongst the plants most visited by bees in my garden.
What are the species that have the most nectar?

with me most butterflies and bees are on allium senescens + seedlings and all ampeloprasum's type's.
But you can find them on almost every allium flower.

[olegKon]

Mark, sorry, have just seen your post of July, 21 after a month's holyday in Britain. So glad you enjoy Allium pseudoflavum. It is a good seed producer here, so I hope you will have a good bunch soon.
Wietse, I'm surprised to see Allium ramosum flowering now. My plants have already opened their seed heads. 

[Rimmer de Vries]

Oleg, It is interesting that you mention the Allium ramosum blooming now. Allium ramosum bloomed here in June and the seed is opening now too.

However i have this similar looking allium grown from SRGC seed started last January 2013 (8 months ago) that is blooming now that looks just like Allium ramosum.

the seed was labelled as Allium tataricum SRGC 2012-13 #209. 

the USDA says  Allium tataricum  is a synymon for A. ramosum 
http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?2398
http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/kew-296758

maybe if it blooms the first year from seed it blooms in August?

[TheOnionMan]

Oleg, no problem, I'm just happy to have this nice species (pseudoflavum) flowering and setting seed, thanks again    I too was surprised to see Weitse's photo of A. ramosum, blooming now, mine are long finished and shed their seed as well. It may in fact be a form of tuberosum, there are some forms with strong red striping (thus looking more similar to ramosum that typically has red striping), I used to grow such forms, but decided eventually to eradicate all tuberosum for invasive tendencies and tenacious roots that make them hard to pull.  Weitse, I do think that your plant is Allium tuberosum.

Rimmer, your allium is A. tuberosum, which should start flowering just about now.  Since A. ramosum and tuberosum are frequently mixed up (both white-flowered species), it comes as no surprise for the seed mixup. It's very quick seed to flowering adds to this species spreading tendencies.

[Rimmer de Vries]

Rimmer, your allium is A. tuberosum, which should start flowering just about now.  Since A. ramosum and tuberosum are frequently mixed up (both white-flowered species), it comes as no surprise for the seed mixup. It's very quick seed to flowering adds to this species spreading tendencies.

Thanks Mark
as you could possibly see in the picture of the buss boy tray that has about 20 allium seed labels this was the only allium seeds in the entire tray to grow so well so i was worried it was a gorilla.

[wmel]

Wietse, I'm surprised to see Allium ramosum flowering now. My plants have already opened their seed heads. 

Oleg, Mark,

My normal allium ramosum has also long been going into seed.
but ramosum now flourishes from seed sown in November 2011.
This is last fall replanted, and  flowering now in approximately 5% of the plants.
it is also very easy to see the difference between ramosum and tuberosum in the roots and plant structure .

[olegKon]

So, everybody, nature has a lot of miracles in store for us. Doesn't it make life more exciting?  I have a number of distinct speciments of Allium tuberosum strikingly different in vigor, height, spreading habits etc. None of them shows invasive tendencies Mark has observed. As it is an autumn flowering species, it doesn't have, I think, enough tine to set seed and I cut stems down before the first snowfall. For me here Allium ramosum is at least twice as tall as Allium tuberosum.

[Mark Griffiths]

hi, can some kind soul give me a positive ID on my plant a few pages back? First post on page 12

http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=10020.165

thanks!