Allium carinatum
| Allium carinatum | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 7 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Late Summer |
| Meadows | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Allium carinatum (common name: keeled garlic)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle - if you want to produce clumps more quickly then put three plants in each pot. Grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter and plant them out into their permanent positions in spring once they are growing vigorously and are large enough.
Division in spring. Very easy, the plants divide successfully at any time in the growing season and the divisions can be planted straight out into their permanent positions if required.
Bulbils are harvested in late summer and can be planted out immediately in situ or stored and planted out in spring.
Cultivation: Prefers a sunny position in a light well-drained soil[1]. Succeeds in clay soils[2].
The bulbs should be planted fairly deeply[1]. Most members of this genus are intolerant of competition from other growing plants[2].
Grows well with most plants, especially roses, carrots, beet and chamomile, but it inhibits the growth of legumes[3][4][5]. This plant is a bad companion for alfalfa, each species negatively affecting the other[6].
A good plant for the wild garden[7]. This species can become very invasive by means of its bulbils[2]. The sub-species A. carinatum pulchellum Bonnier.&Layens. is much better behaved and makes a good garden plant[2].
Closely allied to A. oleraceum[1].
Produces new growth in early autumn[K].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[8].
Range: Europe. Naturalized in Britain[9].
Habitat: Dry grassy places and open woods[10].
Edibility: Bulb - raw or cooked[11]. The bulb is very small, about 15mm tall and 10mm in diameter[2][12].
Leaves - raw or cooked.
Flowers - raw.
Bulbils - raw or cooked. Rather small and fiddly to use, but they have a fairly pleasant onion/garlic flavour[K].
Medicinal: Although no specific mention of medicinal uses has been seen for this species, members of this genus are in general very healthy additions to the diet. They contain sulphur compounds (which give them their onion flavour) and when added to the diet on a regular basis they help reduce blood cholesterol levels, act as a tonic to the digestive system and also tonify the circulatory system[K].
Usage: The juice of the plant is used as a moth repellent. The whole plant is said to repel insects and moles[4].
Pollinators: Bees, insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
Known Hazards: Although no individual reports regarding this species have been seen, there have been cases of poisoning caused by the consumption, in large quantities and by some mammals, of certain members of this genus. Dogs seem to be particularly susceptible[13].
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Davies, Dilys. Alliums: The Ornamental Onions. Batsford, 1992.
- ↑ Philbrick, Helen and Richard Gregg. Companion Plants. Watkins, 1979.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Riotte, Louise. Carrots Love Tomatoes. Garden Way, 1978.
- ↑ Hatfield, Audrey. How to Enjoy your Weeds. Frederick Muller Ltd, 1974.
- ↑ Allardice, Pamela. A-Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers, 1993.
- ↑ Grey, Charles. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate, 1938.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of Europe. Oxford University Press, 1969.
- ↑ Douglas, James. Alternative Foods.
- ↑ Britton, Nathaniel and Addison Brown. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1970.
- ↑ Cooper, Marion. Poisonous Plants in Britain and their Effects on Animals and Man. The Stationery Office, 1984.