Allium 2010

[TheOnionMan]

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, I like these little demure autumnal allium, even if quite understated.  There's yet another near autumn flowering one from Iran, named A. autumniflorum which flowers in October.  I don't currently grow any of these other than A. callimiscon ssp. callimischon, in bloom now.

[TheOnionMan]

In bloom today, a recently received replacement to an Allium I once grew but lost, Allium thunbergii DJH 272 (Dan Hinkley).   It is 6-8" (15-20 cm) in bloom.

[Stephenb]

Mark: Good to at least see a species that I'm hoping will survive its first winter here (thanks to Ashley's generosity)...

I was at Kew Gardens last week and here's a few Alliums in the new Alpine house, including thunbergii just emerging.

1-2 Allium glandulsoum
3  Allium thunbergii Ozoke
4-5 Allium wallichii (floriferous!)

[Stephenb]

I visited a friend who showed me two unidentified Alliums picked up in a market in Aizawl, Mizaram in India

1-4 is a very large species - the leaves are serrated
5-6 is small but quite large bulbs (reminiscent of Rakkyo or Allium chinense)

[TheOnionMan]

I was at Kew Gardens last week and here's a few Alliums in the new Alpine house, including thunbergii just emerging.

1-2 Allium glandulsoum
3    Allium thunbergii Ozoke
4-5 Allium wallichii (floriferous!)

Good to see Allium glandulosum, an intriguing Mexican species, and hardy too. Mine are from San Luis Potosi, Mexico, 1999, and are also flowering now, although a meager show, most buds aborted and only a few flower spikes appeared because it was way too dry this year.  This is a moisture loving species, and even though I tried dousing the plants regularly with water during our full water ban, not enough moisture to initiate good flowering.  On the good side, it is starting to spread around, it increases from stolons.  I think this is a one-of-a-kind sort of allium with those shiny true red flowers.

I have a second form of A. glandulosum from Sierra de Guanajuato, Mexico, M.Rix, via Arnis Seisums, which I got in 2002.  The label said "dry frost-free winter".  Knowing that the species is hardy, I planted it outside in 2002 and it's been hardy outside.  Only flowered once though, no flowers this year, but I'm happy it is spreading a little bit given the extreme dryness this summer.

I believe 'Ozoke' is a name corruption of 'Ozawa'.  I have seen the name 'Ozoke' before, but it's probably the same misspelling getting around.

That wallichii, wow what a high bud count and deep color.  I notice the buds and back of the petals have a powdery "bloom", a real beauty, nice for its flowering so late too.

[TheOnionMan]

I visited a friend who showed me two unidentified Alliums picked up in a market in Aizawl, Mizaram in India

1-4 is a very large species - the leaves have serrated leaves
5-6 is small but quite large bulbs (reminiscent of Rakkyo or Allium chinense)

I've taken a look, but not sure I can come up with any good suggestions for either.  Being that they were found in a market in India between Bangladesh and Myanmar (Burma), means that the plants could come from most anywhere, even from outside of India, from China perhaps.

I agree when first looking at 5-6, I thought of A. chinense, but there's not enough details and facts here to know determine an ID.

The larger one conjured up thoughts of A. humile and even hookeri, but neither quite matches.  Maybe go through the keys of neighboring areas, but for some areas, India and Myanmar included, I do not know of any reliable and accessible floras nor keys to Allium.  Doing some searching on Alliums used as edibles in the region, came across this one, Allium hypsistum, used in Nepal, but in my 15 minutes of searching have yet to come up with a species description.  I might have to paw through my miscellany of photocopied taxonomic bits for India and adjacent regions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allium_hypsistum

[TheOnionMan]

At least 1 month early this year, is an allium received as A. taquetii that I received from the US National Arboretum many years ago; the name taquetii is a synonym for A. thunbergii.  Certainly the flowers are just like A. thunbergii, deep rose-purple with long exserted stamens, and flowering very late in the season.  However, instead of having the usual fistulose (hollow) keeled leaves, here the leaves are absolutely flat and not hollow. Usually this one blooms extremely late, the end of October into December, but this year it is flowering much earlier, even before A. thunbergii 'Ozawa'!

[Stephenb]

Thanks for having a go at the Indian Alliums. I have Plants and People of Nepal and A. hypsistum is described briefly: "Herb about 25 cm high. Leaves linear, round in cross-section. Flowers pinkish when young, white at maturity, clustered at the end of a scape". Doesn't seem to fit? It's a bigger platn, perhaps 50-100 cm. It was pot grown so could well be at the higher end in a garden.

[Stephenb]

My Allium hookeri (1-2) is making an attempt to flower (a bit late) - this was from seed from a Chinese vegetable seed packet where it is cultivated for food. Can you confirm from these pictures that it is hookeri?

Secondly another late flowering unidentified Allium is flowering for the first time in the mild autumn weather (3-4).

[BULBISSIME]

Stephen, your Allium seems to be Allium thunbergii

[Stephenb]

Really!  Thanks - it fits with the late flowering, of course. However, I've planted thunbergii several other places in the garden and it's never succeeded or turned out to be something different, but I have no record of planting it here....

[TheOnionMan]

My Allium hookeri (1-2) is making an attempt to flower (a bit late) - this was from seed from a Chinese vegetable seed packet where it is cultivated for food. Can you confirm from these pictures that it is hookeri?

Secondly another late flowering unidentified Allium is flowering for the first time in the mild autumn weather (3-4).

Stephen, I agree with Fred that your second one is A. thunbergii.  The first one is a dead-ringer (identical match) for A. hookeri.  Interesting that it is flowering so late.  With the yellow form (A. hookeri var. muliense) which never ever sets any seed for me, this year I finally had the nerve to dig up the plant and divide the bulbs, I think it divided into 3-4 bulbs after about 6 years... a slow grower.

Thanks for the description of A. hypsistum, I agree it does not match your plant.

[Stephenb]

Thanks for the confirmation. I planted Allium komarovii (seed from Berkutenko in Magadan) in this place and I see in Nomenclator Alliorum that Allium komarovianum = A. thunbergii.

[TheOnionMan]

Thanks for the confirmation. I planted Allium komarovii (seed from Berkutenko in Magadan) in this place and I see in Nomenclator Alliorum that Allium komarovianum = A. thunbergii.

Allium komarovii Lipsky (alternate spelling A. komarowii) is a medium tall Melanocrommyum type, not to be confused with the similarly named A. komarovianum Vved., the latter as you say = A. thunbergii.

To show A. komarovii, here are three older pics from 2003.  The species is still growing here, but not always flowering nor setting any seed.

[TheOnionMan]

Going through some photos taken on garden visits, I came across this one, a very floriferous clump of Japanese Allium togashii blooming midsummer in the garden of Peter George in central Massachusetts.  I believe his plants came from me, as I was distributing this little late summer bloomer to our local NARGS chapter members.  The photo reminds me that I must once again move mine, being crowded out by more vigorous plants.