Biology:Allium amethystinum
| Round-headed leek Aglio ametistino | |
|---|---|
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| Allium amethystinum 'Red Mohican' | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Amaryllidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Allioideae |
| Genus: | Allium |
| Subgenus: | A. subg. Allium |
| Species: | A. amethystinum
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| Binomial name | |
| Allium amethystinum Tausch
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| Synonyms[1] | |
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Allium amethystinum is a bulbous herbaceous perennial in the family Amaryllidaceae, native to Italy, Greece, Turkey, Sicily, Crete, Malta, Albania, Bulgaria, and the former Yugoslavia, and cultivated elsewhere as an ornamental.[2] It is one of several species that horticulturalists refer to as "drumstick onions" because of the tight spherical "knob" of flowers at the top, resembling a drumstick.[3][4]
Description
Allium amethystinum has a single bulb. Leaves are tubular, withering before flowering time. Up to the time of flowering the flower stem is bent, straightening only just before blooming.[5] Flowers are reddish-purple, the tepals barely opening at flowering time, remaining wrapped around the ovary and filaments so that only the anthers and stigma are exposed.[6][7] Plants grow to 90–120 cm (3–4 ft) in height.
Habitat
The species is native to rocky soils in the eastern and central Mediterranean regions.[8]
Cultivation
Allium amethystinum is easily grown in fertile, well-drained soils in full sun. It is drought-tolerant once established and prefers dry conditions in summer. The flowers are rich in nectar and attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. The seed heads are ornamental and persist for several weeks after flowering. The plant naturalizes easily and returns year after year. Propagation is by offsets in autumn.[9]
The cultivar "Red Mohican" is a widely grown ornamental selection, notable for its deep wine-red inflorescences with a distinctive crested tuft of buds that open to white florets.[10]
References
- ↑ The Plant List
- ↑ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
- ↑ Altervista, Schede di Botanica, Allium amethystinum
- ↑ Pacific Bulb Society, Milwaukie, Oregon USA. Drumstick onions
- ↑ "Allium amethystinum 'Red Mohican'". Nijssen Bulbs. https://www.nijssenbulbs.com/allium/9901-allium-amethystinum-039red-mohican039-9901.html.
- ↑ Ignaz Friedrich Tausch. 1828. Syll. Ratlb. ii. 256.
- ↑ "Malta Wild Plants, Round-headed leek". http://www.maltawildplants.com/AMRY/Allium_amethystinum.php.
- ↑ "Allium amethystinum 'Red Mohican'". Nijssen Bulbs. https://www.nijssenbulbs.com/allium/9901-allium-amethystinum-039red-mohican039-9901.html.
- ↑ "Allium amethystinum 'Red Mohican'". Gardenia.net. https://www.gardenia.net/plant/allium-amethystinum-red-mohican.
- ↑ "Allium amethystinum 'Red Mohican'". Gardenia.net. https://www.gardenia.net/plant/allium-amethystinum-red-mohican.
Wikidata ☰ Q15517727 entry
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