Allium 2013

[ArnoldT]

There were some pages in Farsi on the one I downloaded.

[Yann]

I spent my evening reading the pdf, this is really a gold mine.

[wmel]

it took a while, but it worked!
Everything is in English so it does not read as easily as Dutch to me, but really interesting and beautiful pictures

[wmel]

Maggi, thank you for the link!
I have just ordered two copies, a wonderful reference book to have on the Bookshelf!!

[Janis Ruksans]

File really is big, but I downloaded ir without problems. Although I have printed copy, I like to have PDF file on computer, too as it allows to use "search" function to find species.
And I agree - we urgently need similar work about American Alliums.
Janis

[wmel]

Very busy at the moment! Not with allium this time, but in the tulips.
last summer we built our greenhouse bigger, and we started picking the first flowers last week.

[TheOnionMan]

File really is big, but I downloaded ir without problems. Although I have printed copy, I like to have PDF file on computer, too as it allows to use "search" function to find species.
And I agree - we urgently need similar work about American Alliums.
Janis

The American Alliums are relatively well-known and documented, but what is needed is an updated more user-friendly illustrated comprehensive key to the species (including Mexican species).  The book 'Bulbs of North America', a North American Rock Garden Society Publication, covers every North American species, including name-dropping a couple dozen Mexican species (I've grown a handful of them).  It can be purchased used for bargain basement prices here:
http://www.amazon.com/Bulbs-America-American-Garden-Society/dp/1604690798

This is not even to begin to compare in the slightest with the impressive scholarly work by Fritsch and Abbasi, the treatment in Bulbs of North America is a pedestrian hobbyist summation of species of North American Allium compiled by two amateurs, the late Jim Robinett on the Californian onions (nearly half the species count) and the balance of Allium in North America compiled by yours truly.  The group is difficult on a number of accounts, information was historically regional or USA State-based, lots of confusing synonymy, key element to species differentiation being bulb-coat reticulation minutia, and lack of definition after the work of Marion Ownbey in the mid 20th century.

There are a number of excellent web resources with which to see information and photographs of just every Allium species in the USA (although almost nothing found on the Mexican species), Calphotos is one such site.

Key to Allium in North America:
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=101086

[Janis Ruksans]

Thanks Mark for link to N American Allium key! It is very valuable.
Book BULBS OF NORTH AMERICA is excellent, but sometimes not easy to use for identification and name checking.
Janis