Allium 2017

[TheOnionMan]

I hope I've correctly identified this allium I saw in July in Sikkim. Damp forest, around 3400m.  Allium prattii?  I loved the color.
...Claire

Allium prattii and ovalifolium are very closely related, mostly separated by aspects of the foliage. Allium prattii leaves gradually narrow towards the base (described as an "obscure petiole"), whereas in ovalifolium the leaves narrow to a distinct petiole at the base (1 - 12 cm long). The leaf tips in prattii are a gradual acuminate point, whereas with cordifolium they can be acuminate to caudate (more abruptly narrowed to a point).  Allium ovalifolium has three varieties, var. ovalifolium (leaf base rounded to mildly cordate), var. cordifolium (leaf base deeply cordate [think: rounded lobes extending beyond the petiole attachment]), and var. leuconeuron (leaves have white color main veins). 

I have noticed in Allium prattii, it too shows a central leaf vein that can be whitish in color. So, what about the plants you picture here, frankly hard to discern because I can't see the leaf base terminations. I do see a white color central leaf vein in your photos.  So, from the photos I cannot tell if it is cordifolium or prattii, but it will be one of those two.

Flora of China has three photos of Allium prattii, here's one that looks most like prattii that I have grown, with rather narrow tapered leaves.
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=87653&flora_id=800. I will post again here, to show a photo of ovalifolium and prattii that I got from Chen Yi many years ago (both came misnamed  ). 

[TheOnionMan]

Can anyone identify this allium for me please?  25-30 cm tall & just starting to flower now.
My guess is Allium senescens ssp. montanum var. glaucum but would welcome an expert opinion

I'm late responding here, and you've already been given a possible ID from Karaba (as Allium lusitanicum, with which I concur).

Regarding the Allium name of "glaucum", it is mired in confusion. It was published as a species in 1810, then elevated to a subspecies of Allium senescens in 1987 by Dr. Nikolai Friesen. That publication was done in Russian cyrillic, so the knowledge of true Allium senescens ssp. glaucum has remained little known even to today.

More recently, photos of the true plant were posted to the excellent Plantarium.ru site (think: online Flora of Russia, Russia in the older sense that includes such countries as Kazakhstan). The true Allium senescens ssp. glaucum is a tallish upright plant, with very narrow upright silver-gray leaves, and fully spherical heads of open bloom, a lilac purplish color, flowering in early August.

The true plant has nothing to do with what we must call "Allium senescens glaucum of Hort", that familiar and popular late summer-autumn blooming plant with low mounds of spiraling leaves and tight hemispheres of pink flowers.   I re-found some old correspondence with Dr. Friesen, where I asked him what he thinks of Allium "glaucum" of Hort. He suggested it most likely originated as hybrids between Asian forms of Allium senescens and a fairly recently published species, Allium austrosibiricum, which has low spiraling foliage and late flowering habit. I will post some links of true Allium senescens ssp. glaucum; I'm of the opinion the true subspecies is not in cultivation, and that the "glaucum of Hort" is a variable hybrid brew as it occurs in cultivation.

[ashley]

I'm not an expert but I would say same as you. Nevertheless, I would spell it Allium lusitanicum (better if you want to write it on a label  )
If you want more details about the senescens-lusitanicum complex : https://www.zobodat.at/stable/pdf/LBB_0030_2_0815-0830.pdf

Thanks Yvain and Mark. 

That paper gives A. senescens subsp. montanum as a synonym of A. lusitanicum but the description of the latter doesn't fit the common garden form very well (especially the leaves which are shorter, broader, glaucous & twisted; next year I'll check flower structure).  Therefore it could well be a hybrid, as you suggest Mark. 

For now I'll just relabel it 'A. senescens glaucum of Hort.' and move on    

[TheOnionMan]

That paper gives A. senescens subsp. montanum as a synonym of A. lusitanicum but the description of the latter doesn't fit the common garden form very well (especially the leaves which are shorter, broader, glaucous & twisted; next year I'll check flower structure).  Therefore it could well be a hybrid, as you suggest Mark. 

Perhaps this will help, I'm uploading a few screen shots from a Powerpoint presentation I gave at Denver Botanic Garden in October 2017, for a Steppes Symposium, my topic was on ornamental Allium from steppe regions in Asia and North American prairies. Specifically the slides I'm showing is a portion that addresses Allium senescens complex.

The informational slide talks about the 4 races of Allium senescens mentioned in Flora of Russia 1935, and what their equivalencies are now, then adding in the 5th & 6th entities, ssp. glaucum (true) and senescens glaucum of Hort.

[TheOnionMan]

Larger images of true Allium senescens ssp. glaucum, from the Plantarium.ru (eFlora of Russia) site, with the identification of this subspecies indeed verified by the publishing author Dr. Nikolai Friesen. The last photo shows an partially translated excerpt on the subspecies publish (species description translated from Russian cyrillic to latin), sent to me by Dr. Friesen.

[Claire Cockcroft]

Thanks, Mark, for the information on Allium prattii versus A. ovalifolium.  Here is the best photo that shows the foliage of the allium I saw in Sikkim.
...Claire

[ashley]

Perhaps this will help, I'm uploading a few screen shots from a Powerpoint presentation I gave at Denver Botanic Garden in October 2017, for a Steppes Symposium, my topic was on ornamental Allium from steppe regions in Asia and North American prairies. Specifically the slides I'm showing is a portion that addresses Allium senescens complex.

The informational slide talks about the 4 races of Allium senescens mentioned in Flora of Russia 1932, and what their equivalencies are now, then adding in the 5th & 6th entities, ssp. glaucum (true) and senescens glaucum of Hort.

Very interesting to see how distinct the true glaucum is Mark.  Thank you.

[TheOnionMan]

:-0