Allium victorialis
| Allium victorialis | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 7 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Allium victorialis (common name: alpine leek)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse or cold frame. It germinates quickly and can be grown on in the greenhouse for the first year, planting out the dormant bulbs in the late summer of the following year if they have developed sufficiently, otherwise grow on in pots for a further year. Stored seed can be sown in spring in a greenhouse.
Division in summer after the plants have died down. Fairly easy, though we have found that it is best to pot up the divisions until they are growing away strongly before planting them out into their permanent positions[K].
Cultivation: Requires a sunny position in a light well-drained soil[1][2].
The bulbs should be planted fairly deeply[1]. Most members of this genus are intolerant of competition from other growing plants[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].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[8].
Range: Europe - Mediterranean.
Habitat: Rocky and stony places in mountains, usually on calcareous soils[9].
Edibility: Bulb - raw or cooked[10]. An onion substitute[11]. The plants are as pungent as garlic[3]. The bulbs are rather small, about 10 - 20mm in diameter, and are produced in clusters on a short rhizome[2].
Leaves - raw or cooked. The stems and leaves are eaten[12][13], they are much favoured in Japan[14].
Flowers - raw or cooked.
Medicinal: The root is antiscorbutic, carminative, diuretic and vermifuge[1][15][16][17].
Used in the treatment of profuse menstruation[1][15][16].
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.
In Leaf: Late Fall-Mid Summer
Seed Ripens: Early Summer-Mid 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 1.2 1.3 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Davies, Dilys. Alliums: The Ornamental Onions. Batsford, 1992.
- ↑ Philbrick, Helen and Richard Gregg. Companion Plants. Watkins, 1979.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 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.
- ↑ Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of Greece and the Balkans. Oxford University Press, 1980.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Douglas, James. Alternative Foods.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Read, Bernard. Famine Foods Listed in the Chiu Huang Pen Ts'ao. Taipei Southern Materials Centre, 1977.
- ↑ Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Oriental Herbs and Vegetables, Vol 39 No. 2. Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 1986.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Stuart, George. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei Southern Materials Centre.
- ↑ Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.