Scientific Name:
Allium giganteum
Pronunciation:
AL-ee-um jy-GAN-tee-um
Common Name:
tall ornamental onion
Family Name:
Amaryllidaceae
Plant Type:
Herbaceous perennial
Key ID Features:
Bulbs 5-8cm wide; leaves basal, strap-shaped, most 15-45cm long x 4-6(-10)cm wide, have onion odour when crushed and die back when flowering; umbels round 10-14cm wide, flowers star-shaped, 1.5-2.5cm wide, peduncles 0.9-1.4m long.
Habit:
Upright
Form:
Pyramidal - narrowly
Texture:
Medium
Mature Height:
0.7 - 1.3m
Mature Spread:
0.3 - 0.6m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Central / west Asia
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 5: (-29 to -23 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Landscape Uses:
Cut flower or foliage, Perennial border, Spring interest
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Basal
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible
Surfaces:
Glabrous, Distinctive smell
Colour in Summer:
Green, Silver / Grayish
Shapes:
Linear
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Truncate
Margins:
Entire
Additional Info:
Onion smell when bruised; die back when flowering
Inflorescence Type:
Umbel
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
6
Corolla Shape:
Rotate/stellate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Showy, Violet, Purple
Flower Time at Peak:
May, Jun
Additional Info:
6 tepals
Fruit Type:
Capsule
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Jul, Aug
Additional Info:
Not showy
Bark or Stem Colour:
n/a
Organ Modifications:
Bulbs
Propagation:
Seed, Division - below ground parts
Maintenance:
Medium
Pest Susceptibility:
(Pest resistant, Disease resistant, Deer resistant, Rabbit resistant)
Specific Pests:
