ALLIUM ROSEUM

Family and Genus:- See- ALLIACEAE/Sect. MOLIUM

Common Name:- Rosy garlic

Homotypic Synonyms:- Molium roseum, Nectaroscordum roseum.

Meaning:- Allium (L) The ancient Latin name for garlic.

Roseum (L) Rose-like, rose coloured.

General description:- Variable, short to medium, hairless bulbous perennial.

Bulb:-

1) Ovoid usually with numerous stipitate bulblets. tunics membranous, the

outermost ± crustaceous, pitted, pale brown.

Stems:-

1) 20-60 cm

Leaves:-

1) 2-4, long and narrow with parallel sides, keeled, sheathing the low fifth of the

leafless stalk.

Flowers:-

1) Umbel, to 7 cm in diam, fastigiate or hemispherical, with or without bulbils.

2) Spathe, 1-valved but often becoming 3- to 4-lobed, shorter than the equal flower-

stalks, membranous, persistent.

3) Perianth, campanulate.

4) Perianth segments, 7-12 mm,

b) rose-pink or almost white.

5) Stamens, not protruding.

a) anthers yellow.

Fruit:-

1) Capsule, 4 mm.

Key features:-

1) Spathe, 1-valved but often becoming 3- to 4-lobed.

2) Perianth-segments, white or pink, not keeled.

2) Outer tunics, crustaceous, pitted and perforate.

3) Bulb, narrowly ovoid or cylindrical, rarely subglobose.

4) Stamens, not exceeding perianth-segments.

5) Perianth, 7-12 mm.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Seasonally damp places in olive groves, ?elds, grassy meadows, shady

road embankments and coastal saline habitats. 0-600 m.

Distribution:- Throughout Greece, but rare in the interior and lacking in most of N

and NE. - Mediterranean area from Morocco and Portugal to Egypt and Cyprus..

Fairly widespread on Crete.

Flowering time:- April-May

Photos by:- Yannis Zacharakis