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cow garlic, crow garlic, field garlic, short-beak agoseris, vineyard onion, wild chives, wild garlic

Drummond onion, Drummond's onion

Bulbs

5–20, clustered, stipitate, hard-shelled, asymmetric, ovoid, 1–2 × 1–2 cm;

outer coats enclosing bulbs, brownish to yellowish, membranous, vertically striate, splitting into parallel strips and fibers, cells arranged in ± wavy rows, vertical;

inner coats white to light brown, cells obscure, vertically elongate.

1–5, without basal bulbels, ovoid, 1–1.8 × 0.7–1.5 cm;

outer coats enclosing 1 or more bulbs, brown, reticulate, cells fine-meshed, mostly closed in proximal 1/2 of bulb, fibrous;

inner coats whitish or brownish, cells intricately contorted, walls usually not sinuous.

Leaves

persistent, green at anthesis, 2–4, sheathing at least proximal 1/2 scape;

blade hollow below middle, terete, cylindric or filiform, not carinate, 20–60 cm × 2–4 mm, margins entire.

persistent, green at anthesis, 2–5, sheathing;

blade solid, flat, channeled, 10–30 cm × 1–3(–5) mm, margins entire.

Scape

persistent, solitary, erect, terete, 30–120 cm × 1.5–4 mm.

persistent, solitary, erect, terete, 10–30 cm × 1–3 mm.

Umbel

persistent, erect, ± compact, 0–50-flowered, subglobose to ovoid or hemispheric, flowering pedicels all or in part replaced by bulbils;

bulbils sessile, basally narrowed, 4–6 × 2–3 mm;

spathe bract caducous, 1, 2–several-veined, ovate, apex caudate, beaked, beak ± equaling or longer than base.

persistent, erect, compact to ± loose, usually 10–25-flowered, hemispheric-globose, rarely replaced by bulbils;

spathe bracts persistent, 2–3, 1-veined, ovate, ± equal, apex acuminate.

Flowers

campanulate, 3–4 mm;

tepals erect, greenish to purple, elliptic-lanceolate, ± equal, withering in fruit, margins entire, apex obtuse;

stamens exserted, outer 3 filaments without appendages, inner 3 filaments with 2 prominent lateral appendages;

anthers purple;

pollen white;

ovary crestless;

style exserted, linear, ± equaling stamen;

stigma capitate, scarcely thickened, unlobed; flowering pedicel 10–20 mm.

campanulate to ± stellate, 6–9 mm;

tepals spreading, white, pink, or red, rarely greenish yellow, ovate to lanceolate, ± equal, becoming papery and rigid in fruit, margins entire, apex obtuse or acute, midribs somewhat thickened;

stamens included;

anthers yellow;

pollen light yellow;

ovary crestless;

style linear, equaling stamens;

stigma capitate, unlobed or obscurely lobed;

pedicel 5–20 mm.

Seed

coat shining;

cells smooth.

coat shining;

cells each usually with minute, central papilla.

2n

= 32, 40.

= 14, 28.

Allium vineale

Allium drummondii

Phenology Flowering Jun–Aug. Flowering Mar–Jun.
Habitat Disturbed areas often adjacent to agricultural lands Plains, hills, and prairies, particularly in limestone soils
Elevation 0–700 m (0–2300 ft) 0–1600 m (0–5200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CA; CT; DC; DE; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MO; MS; NC; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; TN; VA; WV; ON; QC; Europe [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AR; KS; NE; NM; OK; TX; Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Allium vineale is also expected to be found in Wisconsin and Texas; specimens were not seen. It is a noxious weed, apparently introduced from Europe in colonial times. The small, wheat-sized bulbils frequently contaminated wheat grown in infested areas. Bread made from such wheat was garlic-flavored, and cows grazing in infested pastures produce garlic-flavored milk.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 26, p. 237. FNA vol. 26, p. 239.
Parent taxa Liliaceae > Allium Liliaceae > Allium
Sibling taxa
A. aaseae, A. abramsii, A. acuminatum, A. ampeloprasum, A. amplectens, A. anceps, A. atrorubens, A. bigelovii, A. bisceptrum, A. bolanderi, A. brandegeei, A. brevistylum, A. burlewii, A. campanulatum, A. canadense, A. cepa, A. cernuum, A. columbianum, A. constrictum, A. coryi, A. cratericola, A. crenulatum, A. crispum, A. cuthbertii, A. denticulatum, A. diabolense, A. dichlamydeum, A. dictuon, A. douglasii, A. drummondii, A. elmendorfii, A. falcifolium, A. fibrillum, A. fimbriatum, A. fistulosum, A. geyeri, A. gooddingii, A. haematochiton, A. hickmanii, A. hoffmanii, A. howellii, A. hyalinum, A. jepsonii, A. kunthii, A. lacunosum, A. lemmonii, A. macropetalum, A. macrum, A. madidum, A. membranaceum, A. monticola, A. munzii, A. neapolitanum, A. nevadense, A. nevii, A. nigrum, A. obtusum, A. oleraceum, A. paniculatum, A. parishii, A. parryi, A. parvum, A. passeyi, A. peninsulare, A. perdulce, A. platycaule, A. plummerae, A. praecox, A. punctum, A. rhizomatum, A. robinsonii, A. rotundum, A. runyonii, A. sanbornii, A. sativum, A. schoenoprasum, A. scilloides, A. serra, A. sharsmithiae, A. shevockii, A. simillimum, A. siskiyouense, A. speculae, A. stellatum, A. textile, A. tolmiei, A. tribracteatum, A. tricoccum, A. triquetrum, A. tuberosum, A. tuolumnense, A. unifolium, A. validum, A. victorialis, A. yosemitense
A. aaseae, A. abramsii, A. acuminatum, A. ampeloprasum, A. amplectens, A. anceps, A. atrorubens, A. bigelovii, A. bisceptrum, A. bolanderi, A. brandegeei, A. brevistylum, A. burlewii, A. campanulatum, A. canadense, A. cepa, A. cernuum, A. columbianum, A. constrictum, A. coryi, A. cratericola, A. crenulatum, A. crispum, A. cuthbertii, A. denticulatum, A. diabolense, A. dichlamydeum, A. dictuon, A. douglasii, A. elmendorfii, A. falcifolium, A. fibrillum, A. fimbriatum, A. fistulosum, A. geyeri, A. gooddingii, A. haematochiton, A. hickmanii, A. hoffmanii, A. howellii, A. hyalinum, A. jepsonii, A. kunthii, A. lacunosum, A. lemmonii, A. macropetalum, A. macrum, A. madidum, A. membranaceum, A. monticola, A. munzii, A. neapolitanum, A. nevadense, A. nevii, A. nigrum, A. obtusum, A. oleraceum, A. paniculatum, A. parishii, A. parryi, A. parvum, A. passeyi, A. peninsulare, A. perdulce, A. platycaule, A. plummerae, A. praecox, A. punctum, A. rhizomatum, A. robinsonii, A. rotundum, A. runyonii, A. sanbornii, A. sativum, A. schoenoprasum, A. scilloides, A. serra, A. sharsmithiae, A. shevockii, A. simillimum, A. siskiyouense, A. speculae, A. stellatum, A. textile, A. tolmiei, A. tribracteatum, A. tricoccum, A. triquetrum, A. tuberosum, A. tuolumnense, A. unifolium, A. validum, A. victorialis, A. vineale, A. yosemitense
Synonyms A. helleri, A. nuttallii, A. reticulatum var. nuttallii
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 299. (1753) Regel: Trudy Imp. S.-Peterburgsk. Bot. Sada 3: 112. (1875)
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