Allium tricoccum
| Allium tricoccum | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 1' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Mid Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Allium tricoccum (common name: wood leek)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. The seed usually germinates within 12 months, but only makes a root and a small bulb in its first year of growth. Top growth is not produced until the second spring[K]. It is quite possible that if the seed can be sown when it is ripe in early summer, or in the autumn, then this will speed up germination times[K]. Sow the seed thinly in the pots so that the young seedlings can be allowed to grow on undisturbed for their first two years. Apply a liquid feed once a month during the growing season to ensure they do not suffer from mineral deficiency. When the plants are dormant at the end of their second years growth, divide them so that there are 2 - 3 small bulbs in each pot. Grow them on for a further year in the greenhouse and then plant them out when they are dormant.
Division in spring. Very easy, 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]. Grows well in light moist woodland, where the plant forms large clumps and can become invasive[2][3]. It is probably best grown in the wild garden[2].
Plants are hardy to at least -15°c[4].
The bulbs should be planted fairly deeply[1]. The leaves die down in early summer before the flowers have fully opened.
Grows well with most plants, especially roses, carrots, beet and chamomile, but it inhibits the growth of legumes[5][6][7]. This plant is a bad companion for alfalfa, each species negatively affecting the other[8].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[9].
Range: Eastern N. America - Quebec, south to Virginia and Iowa.
Habitat: Rich woods and bottoms, preferring slopes and streamsides[10]. Usually in beech and maple woods[11].
Edibility: Bulb - raw or cooked[12][13][11]. Used mainly as a flavouring in salads and savoury dishes[4]. This is one of the best N. American wild species for sweetness and flavour[14]. A mild sweet flavour, resembling leeks[15]. The bulb is rather small, it is up to 12mm wide and 50mm tall[3] and is produced in clusters on a rhizome[16].
Leaves - raw or cooked[17]. The unfolding leaves in spring have a mild sweet flavour, resembling leeks[15].
Flowers - raw. Used as a garnish on salads. A hot onion flavour[K].
Medicinal: This species probably has most of the medicinal virtues of garlic (Allium sativum) but in a milder form[18][4]. Traditionally the leaves were used in the treatment of colds and croup, and also as a spring tonic[18][4].
The warm juice of the leaves and bulb was used externally in the treatment of earaches[18][4].
A strong decoction of the root is emetic[18].
Usage: The juice of the plant is used as a moth repellent. The whole plant is said to repel insects and moles[6].
Pollinators: Bees, insects
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Early Spring-Early Summer
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
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Davies, Dilys. Alliums: The Ornamental Onions. Batsford, 1992.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Britton, Nathaniel and Addison Brown. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1970.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ Philbrick, Helen and Richard Gregg. Companion Plants. Watkins, 1979.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 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.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 McPherson, Alan and Sue McPherson. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press, 1977.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Saunders, Charles. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1976.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Elias, Thomas. A Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1982.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.