Description

Allium – Onion

There are about 700 species of bulbous perennials and biennials, in this genus. Native to temperate regions in the northern Hemisphere and Western and Central Asia.  A single bulb produces clusters of off sets bulbs around it, which gradually forms clumps and range in height from 4” to 5’ feet tall.  They bear bell, star, cup, and spherical, sometimes hemispherical or ovoid occasionally pendent ½-12” wide flower heads.  The linear to strap shaped basal or stem-clasping leaves when bruised or cut excrete onion smell.  They bloom in spring and autumn and some species are edible and have culinary uses.  Contact with bulb may irritate skin.

They prefer to grow in open sunny position in fertile well-drained, weed free soil.

Prone to onion fly, stem eelworm, rust, onion white rot, bulb rots, White rot, mildew, smut and various fungal leaf spots thrips.

Allium karataviense – This bulbous perennial grows 4-10” tall and derives from Central Asia.  It produces 6-9” long broad dull gray-green leaves flushed with purple that spread widely at the base.  The name is a latininazation of Kara Tua the mountain range in Kazakhstan where they derive.  The short flowering stems bears 2-3” dense umbels of 50 or more star shaped white to pale purple flowers in summer.

Zones 3-9