Flora of North America species comparison

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Nothoscordum

false garlic, false onion
Habit Herbs, perennial, scapose, from bulbs.
Bulbs

in general appearance very similar to some species of Allium, without alliaceous odor;

outer coats membranous.
Leaves

usually present at flowering time, basal, imbricate, sheathing basally;

blade filiform to linear.
Inflorescences

umbellate, subtended by spathe bracts;

bracts 2, membranous.
Flowers

fastigiate, withering-persistent;

tepals 6, 2-whorled, connate proximal 1/3, 1-veined, subequal;

stamens 6, adnate to tepal bases, included;

filaments distinct, ± dilated basally, subulate and entire apically;

anthers dorsifixed, oblong, introse;

ovary superior, sessile, 3-locular;

ovules several(–12);

style filiform;

stigma terminal, small.
Fruits

capsular, 3-lobed, membranous, dehiscence loculicidal.
Seeds

black, angled [compressed or almost flat].

Nothoscordum
Distribution
map from USDA
North America; South America
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Species ca. 19 (2 in the flora).

All species of Nothoscordum are native to the Americas. Nothoscordum gracile has become naturalized in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia; it spreads rapidly by seeds and bulblets.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Parent taxa Liliaceae
Subordinate taxa
N. bivalve, N. gracile
Key
1. Leaves 4–12 mm wide; flowers fragrant; tepals connate to 1/3 their length.
N. gracile
1. Leaves 1–4(–5) mm wide; flowers not fragrant; tepals distinct or nearly so.
N. bivalve
Name authority Kunth: Enum. Pl. 4: 457. (1843)
Source FNA vol. 26, p. 276. Treatment authors: T. D. Jacobsen, Dale W. McNeal Jr..
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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