Allium vineale var. compactum
Common names
wild onion
Biostatus
Exotic
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Monocots
Flower colours
No flowers
Similar taxa
Stems 30 to 90 cm tall, smooth and waxy. Leaves slender, hollow, nearly round, attached to lower half of stem. aerial bulblets form in a cluster at top of stem, are oval and smooth with shiny covering. Flowers greenish-white, small, on short stems above aerial bulblets (Wax, Fawcett and Isely 1981).
Conservation status
Not applicable
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Alliaceae
Ecology
Year naturalised
1868
Origin
Europe, N. America
Life cycle and dispersal
Reproduces by seeds, aerial bulblets and underground bulblets (Wax, Fawcett and Isely 1981). Seeds black, flat on one side, about 3mm long; formed only occasionally (ibid.). Dispersed by vertebrates and possibly wind (Atkinson 1997).
Other information
Etymology
allium: Possibly from the Latin word for garlic or the Celtic word all ‘pungent’ or ‘burning’
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Atkinson IAE. 1997. Problem weeds on New Zealand islands. Science for Conservation 45. Department of Conservation, Wellington, NZ. 58 p.
Wax LM, Fawcett RS, Isley D (eds). 1981. Weeds of the North Central States. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Agriculture, Illinois, USA. 303 p.