Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum

Plant Identification => Plant Identification Questions and Answers => Topic started by: Diane Clement on October 13, 2015, 12:52:59 PM

Title: 2 Alliums for identification
Post by: Diane Clement on October 13, 2015, 12:52:59 PM
Can anyone help with the identification of these 2 alliums.  The first has twisted leaves, as lusitanicum, but I don't think the flowers seem right for that species.  The second was grown from seed as falcifolium, but may be more allied to dichlamydeum.  Thanks for any ideas  ;D
Title: Re: 2 Alliums for identification
Post by: TheOnionMan on March 09, 2016, 02:23:03 PM
Wow, this has gone without an answer for almost 5 months!

The deep color Allium looks like A. dichlamydeum

The paler pink senescens-like Allium that you received as A. lusitanicum, does have foliage that matches that species, but the flowers look more open and stellate than normal.

On the excellent Taxonomic Allium Reference Collection site (Gatersleben), I went through about half of the 53 accessions, most have photos of foliage and flowers, and while variable, the flowers seem more consistently closed and urceolate. Since this species and the allied senescens and other species freely hybridize in gardens, my guess its a hybrid.
http://apex.ipk-gatersleben.de/apex/f?p=265:3:4856180323236::NO::P3_SCIENTIFIC_NAME:759 (http://apex.ipk-gatersleben.de/apex/f?p=265:3:4856180323236::NO::P3_SCIENTIFIC_NAME:759)
Title: Re: 2 Alliums for identification
Post by: Rick R. on March 09, 2016, 02:46:19 PM
Nice to have you back, Mark.
I am a word-aholic, and I had to look up "urceolate" in the book I have by James Harris and Melinda Woolf Harris,Plant Identification Terminology An Illustrated Glossary.  A very worthy purchase (or gift purchase) for any serious gardener.

Urceolate. Pitcher-like; hollow and contracted near the mouth like a pitcher or urn.  Figure 1411.



Title: Re: 2 Alliums for identification
Post by: Diane Clement on March 09, 2016, 03:09:16 PM
Thanks, Mark, for your thoughts on these.
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