Allium 2011

[bulborum]

I bought this as Allium serra
but I have my doubts
they started two weeks ago to flower

Roland

[TheOnionMan]

I bought this as Allium serra
but I have my doubts
they started two weeks ago to flower

Roland

Roland, that's a low growing form of Allium paniculatum; I've grown many such nice little reddish forms of A. paniculatum. 

My plants of Allium serra slowly died out over the years.  Here's what Allium serra looks like:
http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=232
http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/img_query?rel-taxon=contains&where-taxon=Allium+serra
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Allium_serra.jpg
http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/AmericanAlliumsFive

[bulborum]

Thanks Mark

My A. paniculatum starts almost flowering
but are 80-90 cm tall
I have never seen these tiny A. paniculatum

Roland

[johnw]

Mark - Do you think this is indeed Allium beesianum?

johnw

[Alessandro.marinello]

Allium sp. China, I do not know that species to be, in the label indicated like to A. prattii

[TheOnionMan]

Allium sp. China, I do not know that species to be, in the label indicated like to A. prattii

Hi Alessandro, this is Allium wallichii. By the way, there is an Allium 2011 topic that's ongoing.  Cheers  

I tried doing a search on Allium wallichii in that thread, then discovered the recent photos of two color forms have a typo where it is listed as "wallachii" so it didn't come up in the search, but here's the link:
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=6685.msg209427#msg209427

[TheOnionMan]

These later blooming alliums are an eye opener.  I hope we will see seed from some of them on the SeedEX this year.  They can really fill the gap when most other perennials are finishing

Mark,  great article in the NARGS journal.

Thanks for your comments Jamie, there are so many summer blooming Alliums, and a surprising number of fall bloomers, that it is easy to expound on their virtues.

[TheOnionMan]

Mark - Do you think this is indeed Allium beesianum?

johnw

Could be A. beesianum or sikkimense depending on the length of the tepals, measure the petal length and let us know

http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=5766.msg159956#msg159956

     Tepals   6-10 mm......................  Allium sikkimense
     Tepals  11-14 (17) mm...............  Allium beesianum

[TheOnionMan]

Thanks Mark

My A. paniculatum starts almost flowering
but are 80-90 cm tall
I have never seen these tiny A. paniculatum

Roland

Roland,  I have grown dozens of forms of Allium paniculatum.  Four varieties are described with dozens of synonyms, it is among the most variable Allium species.  And there are dozens of closely related species too; it's a difficult group to be sure. They range in height from dwarfs, most typically medium sized plants to 16-18" (40-45 cm) to much taller forms.  I had a lovely white-flowered form, with greenish-beige brown edges to the tepals, growing 75-80 cm, but lost it one year when a fox was digging in the garden burying his prey (a crow).  Often the red-flowered forms arrived misnamed as A. kermesinum, protensum, and other completely unrelated species.

[bulborum]

If I remember well this tall Allium paniculatum
was collected by Antoine Hoog
and is flowering for months
although green it looks good in the border

Roland

[Maggi Young]

I have moved replies 304 and 305, above, into this thread 

[arisaema]

Any idea what species this is? From Mugecuo Lake, Kangding, Sichuan, about 3900m. Ordinary, drop-shaped bulbs, i.e. not elongated like A. prattii.

ETA: Probably A. xichuanense?

[Alessandro.marinello]

Thanks Mark

[wmel]

Some nice butterfly's Alliums from today....

allium senecsens
allium ametystinum

[TheOnionMan]

Any idea what species this is? From Mugecuo Lake, Kangding, Sichuan, about 3900m. Ordinary, drop-shaped bulbs, i.e. not elongated like A. prattii.

ETA: Probably A. xichuanense?

Arisaema, a VERY interesting allium!  Your tentative ID of A. xichuanense seems very close indeed, with the exception is the stamen length.  In FOC, the stamens are described as "filaments equal, equaling to 1.3 × as long as perianth segments", but in the first photo I'd say the filaments are up to 2x as long as the perianth segments.  But looking briefly at the key, I don't see other likely options.  How tall are the flowering stems?

By the way, what's the blue-flowered plant next to it?  Looks like an enticing member of the Gentianaceae.