Allium 2010

[Maggi Young]

Glad you enjoyed it. You didn't treat Lily to it, did you?

Certainly not, chocolate is bad for dogs ....but we did share one or two with vistors and did not eat them all ourselves!

[TheOnionMan]

Back home from a long holiday I found these three alliums blooming
1. Allium globosum ssp.psebaicum
2. Allium rupestre
3. Allium ericetorum

Oleg, we can always count on some good onion photos from you; very nice!  I'm intrigued by A. rupestre, as it is one that almost no reliable photos can be found on the internet, not sure why.  Researching the species, it is akin to A. paniculatum (once considered a variety of it), but then again, there are dozens of similar species, and the species descriptions often are inadequate in defining variability, so it is quite difficult to make positive IDs.  A. rupestre is also reported as very similar to A. kunthianum, and possibly conspecific with A. tristissimum.  Oleg, what is the source of your fine-looking plant?

Can you describe the leaves, A. rupestre is reported as having filiform leaves 0.5-1 mm broad, sheathing the lower 1/2 of stem.  It is also reported as only 5-20 flowered, whereas your photo shows a plant with easily twice that count, but then again, I have found specimens of Allium, particularly in this Codonoprasum section, where the bud count varies much more than reported, and similarly, leaves can vary as well.  The other aspects of the flowers certainly meet description for A. rupestre.

Regarding Allium globosum ssp. psebaicum, here again we see a most attractive allium, the name sending me into a couple hours of research   The name A. psebaicum was published in 2004, so a very recent species, although I cannot find any publication of the name A. globosum ssp. psebaicum, only a couple general web sites that use that name.  Most taxonomists dealing with Allium taxonomy, and among those species that occur in Russia and extend elsewhere (such as into China) define the species Allium saxatile more globally than done in Russia, thus the yellow phase Allium "marschalianum" and the bright pink A. "globosum" are widely considered synonyms of Allium saxatile.  Regardless, it is a most attractive onion, and if flowering this late, all the more valuable. 

Oleg, do you have access to any taxonomic publication of A. psebaicum?  I'd really like to add such a reference to my "library".  Thanks for showing these unusual onions.  The A. ericetorum looks good too, useful for late flowering.

[TheOnionMan]

To give further context to Allium saxatile, here are a few photos, a light pink form, and a deeper pink form.  I also have a near white form (with pink veins) but I can't locate my photos of it.  I used to grow various other varying forms, mostly shades of pink to white, but also a nice yellow form which sadly I no longer have.

[Stephenb]

Stephen, the first two do look like a pale flowered form of Allium paniculatum, although with that said, there are dozens upon dozens of very similar species in Allium section Codonoprasum, that there is a possibility it one one of the closely allied species.  Looking at the taxonomy and synonymy of A. paniculatum reveals much, with so many "species" once considered subspecies of paniculatum.  Upon first impression, flowering seems too late to be A. paniculatum, but checking the floras, September is listed as a flowering time possibility for a couple of subspecies of A. paniculatum. But for A. paniculatum ssp. paniculatum (the one subspecies that often includes white-flowered forms) records flowering between June-August, in Flora of Turkey. 

There is also the synonym, Allium paniculatum var. rupestre (= A. rupestre) that is typically off-white color with a purplish or green midvein, upright umbels 5-20 flowered, and flowers in months 7-10 (so flowering now, is within the description), and leaves sheathing lower 1/2 of the stem (another match), so possibly it is A. rupestre.  Spent an hour looking for a photo of A. rupestre, found one in a pink form, although the site I'm looking at does have some misnomers.
http://www.plantarium.ru/page/image/id/26289.html

The second two photos look like Allium togashii, which would be blooming anywhere between August and October.

Actually, what I have as Allium paniculatum is also still in bloom here and I took (not very good due to poor light) pictures of the two together this evening (Pictures 1 and 2) - the whole flower stem is shown on both plants.

I also show an earlier picture of the same Allium paniculatum (Picture 3) and a plant from a different source(Picture 4)

[olegKon]

Mark,
Both Allium rupestre and globosum psebaicum are from the same source: Sergey Banketov www.mnogoletnik.narod.ru. Just to remind you - the 4th and 5th blue  klickable lines on the left of the picture are for alliums and alliums of the Caucasus.
Allium rupestre does have filiform leaves 1-2 mm rather than 0,5-1 mm broad sheathing app. 1/2 of the stem which are completely dry at the moment unlike the stems and flowers which are full of life. New leaves have appeared above the ground for both spesies just like for Allium carinatum or flavum.
Unfortunately I don't have any taxonomic information about A. psebaicum. But why not try to make inquiries on the Internet page I've mentioned. It may help. I think you can send an e-mail to the man in English.
I'm not sure if the onions will have enough time to set seed before frost. But if they do, just let me know you are interested
Oleg

[BULBISSIME]

One of my favourite Allium is the cretan autumn flowering Allium callimischon ssp haemostichum

[TheOnionMan]

One of my favourite Allium is the cretan autumn flowering Allium callimischon ssp haemostichum

Fred, I was recently looking through the earlier SRGC Allium topics and saw this photo, but I must say it bears repeating... a super photo of this tiny fall blooming onion, love the red speckles and red ovaries and anthers.  I grew it for a couple years in a trough and lost it due to overcrowding .  Currently I only grow A. callimischon ssp. callimischon, also in bloom now, which pales in comparison to ssp. haemostichum.  Thanks for showing this most lovely of fall blooming allium.

[David Nicholson]

Fred your plant is a real beauty, and what a cracking picture too.

[arillady]

It was only when I enlarged the photo Fred that I really saw how beautiful it is

[Oron Peri]

Finally some signs that autumn is not so far...
In bloom today two rareties:

A. autumnale rare endemic from Cyprus.
A. tardiflorum endemic to Israel, only a few hundred plants in the wild growing in one location.

[Oron Peri]

One of my favourite Allium is the cretan autumn flowering Allium callimischon ssp haemostichum

STUNING!!!!!

[Kristl Walek]

Could i have verification on nomenclature from someone?

Allium pszemense?

I can't find the name anywhere.

[arisaema]

Could i have verification on nomenclature from someone?

Allium pszemense?

I can't find the name anywhere.

Try A. pskemense 

[Diane Clement]

Could i have verification on nomenclature from someone?
Allium pszemense? 

Try A. pskemense 

Here's the verification
Allium pskemense

[Luc Gilgemyn]

A perfect picture of a truly wonderful flower Fred !!