Allium scorodoprasum

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Allium scorodoprasum
Light:Full Sun
Moisture:Xeric Mesic
Hardiness:7
Soil pH:5.6-8.4
Height:2'
Width:0.3'
Blooms:Late Spring-Late Summer
Native to:
Edible Rating:PFAF Edibility RatingPFAF Edibility RatingPFAF Edibility RatingPFAF Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating:PFAF Medicinal RatingPFAF Medicinal RatingPFAF Medicinal RatingPFAF Medicinal Rating
Tea:Yes
Poisonous

Allium scorodoprasum (common name: rocambole)

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.

Cultivation: Prefers a sunny position in a light well-drained soil[1]. Thrives in poor dry soils[2].

The bulbs should be planted fairly deeply[1].

Many forms of this species produce numerous bulbils in the flowering head[3]. The plants can become very invasive by means of these bulbils[3]. The sub-species A. scorodoprasum jajlae and A. scorodoprasum rotundum do not produce bulbils[3].

Grows well with most plants, especially roses, carrots, beet and chamomile, but it inhibits the growth of legumes[4][5][6]. This plant is a bad companion for alfalfa, each species negatively affecting the other[7].

Occasionally cultivated, especially in Russia, for its edible bulb[8].

Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[9].

Range: Most of Europe, including Britain, east and south to W. Asia and Syria.

Habitat: Grassland and scrub on dry soils[10].

Edibility: Bulb - raw or cooked[11][12]. A garlic substitute[13][14][15][16], it is used as a flavouring in salads, soups etc[2]. The bulbs are smaller than garlic and have a milder flavour, they are produced at the points of the stem as well as at the base[17]. The bulbs are 10 - 20mm in diameter[18].

Leaves - raw or cooked[2]. Used as a flavouring in salads etc[2].

Flowers - raw. Used as a garnish on salads.

Medicinal: The plant is digestive and depurative[19].

The bulb is used in the treatment of abscesses, amoebic dysentery, bronchitis, cholera, dysentery, influenza, skin diseases and TB[20].

Usage: The juice of the plant is used as a moth repellent. The whole plant is said to repel insects and moles[5].

Pollinators: Bees, insects

Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.

Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.

Flower Type: Hermaphrodite

Known Hazards: Although no individual reports regarding this species have been seen, there have been cases of poisoning caused by the consumption, in very large quantities and by some mammals, of certain members of this genus. Dogs seem to be particularly susceptible[7

Links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Davies, Dilys. Alliums: The Ornamental Onions. Batsford, 1992.
  4. ↑ Philbrick, Helen and Richard Gregg. Companion Plants. Watkins, 1979.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Riotte, Louise. Carrots Love Tomatoes. Garden Way, 1978.
  6. ↑ Hatfield, Audrey. How to Enjoy your Weeds. Frederick Muller Ltd, 1974.
  7. ↑ Allardice, Pamela. A-Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers, 1993.
  8. ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
  9. ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
  10. ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
  11. ↑ Mabey, Richard. Food for Free. Collins, 1974.
  12. ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
  13. ↑ Douglas, James. Alternative Foods.
  14. ↑ Vilmorin-Andrieux. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press.
  15. ↑ Thompson, Robert. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son, 1878.
  16. ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
  17. ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
  18. ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
  19. ↑ Stuart, George. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei Southern Materials Centre.
  20. ↑ Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.


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