Allium 2011

[arisaema]

It looks like a. mairei to me.

Thank you, I'll get a new label for it

[TheOnionMan]

Looks like A. mairei to me too, a species found in Yunnan.

[wmel]

Some photos from today:

a. ramosum  (still flowering!)
a. amphibolum (flowers for the second time this year)
a. senescens Glaucum
a. tuberosum
a. daghestanicum

[wmel]

Does someone know this allium?
It looks like allium ramosum and like allium tuberosum, but it is not one of them!!
They flower al summer starting in juni and going on until oktober
Plants are about one meter high

[TheOnionMan]

Does someone know this allium?
It looks like allium ramosum and like allium tuberosum, but it is not one of them!!
They flower al summer starting in juni and going on until oktober
Plants are about one meter high

Wietse, I'd say that it is Allium tuberosum, the species is variable.  At one time, I grew dozens of forms from various botanical gardens and including USDA (United States Dept. of Agriculture) germplasm depository, and they varied a lot, some were rather tall, and blooming time varied too. I liked a couple forms that had stronger red mid nerves on the backs of the tepals, but even these proved too aggressively seeding in the garden. All that I have left now is a moderate sized form, coming into flower now, in spite of trying to get rid of this species for years!  Although, just noticed today, from 2005-2006 NARGS Seed Exchange seed as A. govanianum (humile), I end up with yet another A. tuberosum, this one growing about 75 cm tall (show below). 

One characteristic that stands out for me with A. tuberosum, is the dense head of seed capsules, and the fact the species is apomictic the individual florets go to seed quickly so you end up with an inflorescence that has both flowers and developing seed capsules at the same time.  I also believe that a number of ploidy levels occur with the species.

[wmel]

Does someone know this allium?
It looks like allium ramosum and like allium tuberosum, but it is not one of them!!
They flower al summer starting in juni and going on until oktober
Plants are about one meter high

Wietse, I'd say that it is Allium tuberosum, the species is variable.  At one time, I grew dozens of forms from various botanical gardens and including USDA (United States Dept. of Agriculture) germplasm depository, and they varied a lot, some were rather tall, and blooming time varied too. I liked a couple forms that had stronger red mid nerves on the backs of the tepals, but even these proved too aggressively seeding in the garden. All that I have left now is a moderate sized form, coming into flower now, in spite of trying to get rid of this species for years!  Although, just noticed today, from 2005-2006 NARGS Seed Exchange seed as A. govanianum (humile), I end up with yet another A. tuberosum, this one growing about 75 cm tall (show below). 

One characteristic that stands out for me with A. tuberosum, is the dense head of seed capsules, and the fact the species is apomictic the individual florets go to seed quickly so you end up with an inflorescence that has both flowers and developing seed capsules at the same time.  I also believe that a number of ploidy levels occur with the species.

Sorry, I forgot I asked before about this allium, But I looked back and found your answer. (Below I made a copie of it), But as I read you gave some more options for the name.....

Allium govanianum is a synonym of Allium humile, from China, India and Pakistan.  Allium humile is listed as having scapes 5-25 cm; you guess correctly that your plant is probably misidentified.  I've grown many forms of Allium tuberosum, they can vary quite a bit, including stem height, and bloom time can vary by a few weeks, but generally they are late summer bloomers.  Your plants might me A. ramosum, which blooms mid summer.  Can you take a close-up photo of the flowers, and a leaf cross-section closeup?

[TheOnionMan]

With your latest series of photos and closeups, it looks much more like A. tuberosum than ramosum.  I suppose there is a possibility its a hybrid between the two, the bloom period of each can overlap, I too have had late rebloom on A. ramosum when A. tuberosum starts coming into bloom.  Seeing the flowers closeup, they are short, wide-open and starry just like tuberosum, and don't look like the more campanulate flowers of A. ramosum.  Maybe what you have here is a polyploid A. tuberosum.

[BULBISSIME]

A friend send me thi Allium pictures from Morroco, and I've attached the email from Mark.

anyy suggestion welcome 

"The Allium from Morocco is intriguing, and you labeled it well as probably belonging to the "Allium paniculatum group".  I have looked in the only reference that covers Morocco; "A Revision of the Genus Allium L. (Liliaceae) in Africa" by Brigitta De Wilde-Duyfjes.  The only possibility for Morocco is the identification is A. paniculatum, but as pointed out in this reference (and remembering that the author is a taxonomic "lumper"), there are many MANY synonyms (most from Morocco and Algeria) such as A. paniculatum ssp. mauritii, ssp. breviscapum, var. grandiflorum, var. rifanum, var. excedens, var. brachyspathum, var. stenanthum, A. antiatlanticum, A. valdecallosum, A. pallens var. purpureum, and many others.

Your Allium looks somewhat unique among "paniculatum" types by having narrow funnelform flowers that are nearly truncate at the ends, like many forms of Allium pallens, a very close ally to A. paniculatum.  The Wilde-Duyfjes reference (which is extensive at 237 pages) is from 1976, so potentially outdated, and who knows if there have been some separate small taxonomic revisions in the ensuing years.

So, whatever it is, it's a very attractive small onion; I like the red stem too.  Have you posted this on SRGC to the Allium 2011 topic, it would be good to put it up there, and you can include my response there as well. "

[arisaema]

What's this? Growing in a quagmire alongside Primula secundiflora at around 4000m altitude near Zhongdian.

There was a wide-leaved species growing nearby as well, although on drier ground shaded by (recently chopped down) firs. I guess A. ovalifolium?

[TheOnionMan]

Pretty onion, I believe it might be Allium humile var. trifurcatum (A. trifurcatum in Flora of China), from NW Yunnan (Zhongdian).
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=240001065

http://www.flickr.com/photos/duckuly/5969457230/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/duckuly/5968900387/in/photostream/

I agree with A. ovalifolium on the last photo.

[arisaema]

Thank you, Mark! Fingers crossed there'll be seeds left next month...

[Stephenb]

Mark, you may remember the following discussion of a nice form of Allium sikkimense and you asked me to look out for seed. I remembered this year and I just had a look and it has mostly bulbils, picture enclosed. Ill see if I can salvage a couple of seeds...  

http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=5766.msg163783#msg163783

[Stephenb]

I got this one as Allium canadense fraseri. Is it this or just another tuberosum...

[TheOnionMan]

I got this one as Allium canadense fraseri. Is it this or just another tuberosum...

Correct, it is A. tuberosum.  Allium canadense and its varieties are spring bloomers.  Here's some links on A. canadense var. fraseri (sometimes regarded its own species, A. fraseri).

Flora of North America key to varieties of Allium canadense:
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242101341

Allium canadense var. fraseri in FNA
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242102142

Allium canadesnse var. fraseri at lady Bird Johnson Wildflower site:
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ALCAF
Flower closeup:
http://www.wildflower.org/gallery/result.php?id_image=26544
Reticulated bulb coats closeup:
http://www.wildflower.org/gallery/result.php?id_image=4419

Another link:
http://www.bulbsociety.org/GALLERY_OF_THE_WORLDS_BULBS/GRAPHICS/Allium/Allium_canadensefraseri/Allium_canadensefraseri.html

Herbarium specimen:
http://w3.biosci.utexas.edu/prc/specimens/img/038AlliuCanFra00038561.JPG

[TheOnionMan]

Mark, you may remember the following discussion of a nice form of Allium sikkimense and you asked me to look out for seed. I remembered this year and I just had a look and it has mostly bulbils, picture enclosed. Ill see if I can salvage a couple of seeds...  

My A. beesianum does that... has a few tiny bulbils that are inconspicuous while in full bloom, but after flowering and the capsules start developing, the few bulbils sprout green shoots.  I do believe that most allium species can show forms with the ability to produce a few sprouting bulbils, I have even found these in species like A. flavum, cernuum, senescens, and Melanocrommyum alliums, although these occurrences are rare.