Allium 2012

[wmel]

This is what we grow as allium fistulosum

[John85]

Yours are a bit "fatter"than mine,you must be even more generous with the manure or your polder soil is of better quality .The tops of mine dry very easily even if the plant is well watered.It is like if they dislike heat and as we had a few days with 28°c.....

[Janette]

Please can anyone suggest a book covering the Allium species, as looking on internet I am not finding anything.

[Diane Clement]

Please can anyone suggest a book covering the Allium species, as looking on internet I am not finding anything.

The only one I know of is "Alliums, the ornamental onions" by Dilys Davies.  It's out of print, but available through second hand sellers such as Abe
http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/SearchResults?an=davies&bt.x=50&bt.y=7&kn=allium+dilys+davies
 or Amazon
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alliums-Ornamental-Onions-Dilys-Davies/dp/0713470305/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339142287&sr=1-7

It's surprisingly comprehensive, although not without its faults, but it's the best on the subject that we currently have available, until Mark McOnion writes one   

[WimB]

....until Mark McOnion writes one   

I've been waiting for that one too 

[Janette]

Many thanks Diane. I have now ordered it from Abe books, and I look forward to seeing the contents and hope that it covers some of the smaller species.

[Lori S.]

... it's the best on the subject that we currently have available, until Mark McOnion writes one   

Janette, you may find Bulbs of North America, to which Mark McDonough was a major contributor, to be a very helpful resource too!

[wmel]

Please can anyone suggest a book covering the Allium species, as looking on internet I am not finding anything.

There is also the book: "A field guide to the Bulbs of Greece" by Christopher Grey-Wilson
In this book you find about 35 alliums and very, very much other bulbs......

[wmel]

Some photo's from today

[Michael J Campbell]

What is the name of the blue one in the first picture.?

[wmel]

What is the name of the blue one in the first picture.?

That is allium caesium

[Stephenb]

Anyone recognise this Allium, received as A. meteoricum. I was struck by the rather smart black pedicels which on first glance thought was a black aphid attack 

[TheOnionMan]

Whether on NARGS or SRGC, I'm still mystified about which allium this could be

I wonder if the pedicel color carries any diagnostic importance; often pedicel color can vary within a species.  I googled allium "black pedicels" and it came up with our very own previous conversation about some forms of Allium ochotense (typically this is a syn. of A. victorialis) with dark pedicels.   Allium cernuum has pedicels that range from green, through shades of reddish and purplish, and tones of gray to near black, thus not useful as a diagnostic characteristic in that case.

Stephen, are the leaves hollow in cross section, and do the leaves feel scabrous along the leaf margins?

Very interesting Allium whatever it is. 

Must photograph first bloom on an Allium from Kazakhstan from Panayotis Kelaidis' 2010 collecting expedition, it looks akin to A. saxatile, but I think it may be closer to A. kurssanovii.

[Stephenb]

Thanks, Mark. Here's a picture - didn't feel particularly scabrous.

[TheOnionMan]

Hmmm, fistulose leaves, has very much the look of a chives ally, perhaps a dark pedicel form of Allium ledebourianum?  Just a wild guess.