Scientific Name:
Allium tuberosum
Pronunciation:
AL-ee-um too-bur-OH-sum
Common Name:
garlic chives, Chinese chives
Family Name:
Amaryllidaceae
Plant Type:
Herbaceous perennial
Key ID Features:
Bulbs ovoid, 2-5cm wide, may connect to a short rhizome; leaves alternate, 2-5, linear, most 20-30(-40)cm long x 2-6(-8)mm wide, hollow but flattened to three sided, grey-green; umbels dome-shaped to rounded, 4-7cm wide, florets 20-50, 7-13mm wide, tepals creamy-white with a brownish stripe, pedicels 1-3cm long, peduncles 23-45(-60)cm long.
Habit:
Upright
Form:
Vase
Texture:
Fine
Mature Height:
0.4 - 0.7m
Mature Spread:
0.3 - 0.6m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
S.E. Asia / Japan / China (China)
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 4: (-34 to -29 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade, Filtered shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Humus rich, Well-drained
Water Use:
Low
Landscape Uses:
Attract beneficial insects, Container planting, Herb, Medicinal plant, Perennial border, Rock garden, Summer interest, Urban agriculture
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Parallel venation
Surfaces:
Glabrous, Glaucous, Distinctive smell
Colour in Summer:
Green, Silver / Grayish
Shapes:
Linear
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Sheathing
Margins:
Entire
Additional Info:
Onion smell, garlic taste; die back to ground in winter in zones 4-7
Inflorescence Type:
Umbel, Floriferous
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
3
Corolla Shape:
Rotate/stellate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Showy, White (tepal midrib reddish-brown)
Flower Scent:
Fragrant, Spicy
Flower Time at Peak:
Jul, Aug, Sep
Additional Info:
6 tepals
Fruit Type:
Capsule
Fruit Colour:
Brown (seeds black)
Fruiting Time:
Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Not showy
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green
Organ Modifications:
Bulbs, Rhizomes
Propagation:
Seed, Division - below ground parts
Maintenance:
Low
Other:
Deadhead spent flowers
Pest Susceptibility:
Mites (Pest resistant, Disease resistant, Deer resistant, Rabbit resistant)
Specific Pests:
