Re: Allium triquetrum and snowflakes

p.k.peirce@att.net wrote:
> 
> Dear THGA,
> 
> I thought I should tell you that Allium triquetrum is
> not Leucojum aestivum(snowflake). The rather
> impressionistic drawing of snowflake in the Sunset
> Garden Book could be mistaken for Allium triquetrum, but
> the plant itself looks quite different. The petal tips
> of Leucojum aestivum are marked with a green dot. The
> petals of Allium triquetrum have a green line running
> vertically their entire length. And, as far as I know,
> the leaves and flower stems of Leucojum are not
> triangular in cross-section (the Sunset Bulbs book says
> the leaves of Leucojum are "grasslike"), while those of
> Allium triquetrum are triangular. Finally, I don't think
> that the Leucojum plant has an onion smell when crushed,
> which Allium triquetrum definitely does. (Has anyone
> smelled a Leucojum plant?)

Hi folks
The flowers of the Leucojum are definitely bell-like with little points
to the petals each having a marked green spot. I don't know which
Leucojum the Sunset book is describing when it says the leaves are
grasslike*, but it cannot be L. aestivum as the leaves of this species
are actually large and strap shaped like those of a big daffodil but a
more yellowy green and very shiny and last for a long time. They  arise
from  large permanent bulbs with, if I remember correctly, a brown coat
-entirely unlike the little round white ones of the Allium anyhow. I am
pretty sure they don't hav any onion odour either. They don't spread
around much either, though the bulbs do multiply vigorously eventually
forming very large clumps. They seem to me to have too high a proportion
of foliage to flower to be really choice and take up a lot of room in
the border with their leaves, so I rooted my clump out eventually. There
was never any suggestion though it might spread out elsewhere in the
garden to become a weed.

I greatly prefer myself their cousins the Snowdrops (Galanthus spp) of
which I have lots. These have a nice proportion of foliage to flower and
the whole plant dies down tidily soon after blooming. As these are
mostly from  southern Europe, the Mediterranean or places east, they
should be entirely suitable for growing in member's gardens and worth
collecting to get a good spread. Species can be had in flower right from
autumn till late spring. Although all are basically white, the
interesting green (sometimes yellow) markings on their inner petals and
the variations in the leaves and the shapes of the flower make some
varieties exceptionally attractive. If they like your garden they will
multiply happily and seem to have no diseases, and in my garden no pests
either.

* There are several other Leucojums besides L.aestivum, the majority
mainly suited to a rockery, which are much smaller and dainter, such as
L. autumnalis, which has fine leaves which I suppose look "grassy" and
single small bell-like flowers which are tinged with pink. I grow an
even tinier one (l.roseum) in a trough, which is flowering now in our
late summer. Its tiny grassy leaves spread flat on the ground and the
exquisite little bells are a pretty apple blossom pink. Neither of these
though could by any stretch of imagination be confused with the allium.
There are also some white-flowered ones with slender leaves, but all
quite rare and more often grown only by specialists.

Moira
-- 
Tony & Moira Ryan
Wainuiomata NZ, 
where it's Summer in January and Winter in July.
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