Allium triquetrum
Common names
onion weed
Biostatus
Exotic
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Monocots
Flower colours
Green, White
Detailed description
Perennial herb to about 60 cm, strong garlic smell. Bulbs to 10-15 mm diameter, with offset bulbs. Leaves 2-5, linear, fleshy, keeled, 20-60 cm long, with white papery sheaths. The leaves usually die back in late spring. Flower stalk is three-sided, 20-60 cm high, fleshy and soft, sheathed by leaves at the base. Flowers are bell-shaped, 10-15 mm long, 5 petalled, white with green stripe on the petals, on drooping stalks. Seed capsules 7 mm diameter containing small black seeds.
Similar taxa
Can be separated from other species in the Allium genus by the sharply triangular stems. Leucojum aestivum and Nothoscordum inodorum are also similar but lack the garlic odour.
Habitat
Disturbed forest and shrubland, streamsides, herbfields, bare land. Especially after spraying or other clearance to bare land.
Conservation status
Not applicable
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Alliaceae
Ecology
Flowering
October, November
Year naturalised
1899
Origin
South West Europe, North Africa
Reason for introduction
Agricultural
Life cycle and dispersal
Perennial. Tends to die back in late spring. Reproduces by seed and vegetative reproduction. Seeds are wind dispersed. Many seeds are produced. Bulbs can be dispersed by soil movement. Very shade tolerant.
Wetland plant indicator status rating
Information derived from the revised national wetland plant list prepared to assist councils in delineating and monitoring wetlands (Clarkson et al., 2021 Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research Contract Report LC3975 for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council). The national plant list categorises plants by the extent to which they are found in wetlands and not ‘drylands’. The indicator status ratings are OBL (obligate wetland), FACW (facultative wetland), FAC (facultative), FACU (facultative upland), and UPL (obligate upland). If you have suggestions for the Wetland Indicator Status Rating, please contact: [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]
FAC: Facultative
Commonly occurs as either a hydrophyte or non-hydrophyte (non-wetlands).
Other information
Etymology
allium: Possibly from the Latin word for garlic or the Celtic word all ‘pungent’ or ‘burning’
Environmental Weed (2024)
This plant is named in a list of 386 environmental weeds in New Zealand 2024 prepared by DOC. 759 candidate species were considered for inclusion on this new comprehensive list of environmental weeds in New Zealand. The species considered were drawn from published lists of weed species, lists of plants that must be reported or managed by law if observed, existing national and regional programmes and agreements for pest management, and species already managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC). Candidate species were then assessed to see if they were fully naturalised and whether they have more than minor impacts in natural ecosystems. Read the full report here.
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
ALLTRI