Onion & Garlic Family [Alliaceae] |
status
flower
inner
morph
petals
type
type
stem
16th June 2010, Colwyn Bay, North Wales. | Photo: © RWD |
Grows tall, up to 4 feet, with a globed multiple-flower head atop each stiff round stem. |
15th June 2010, Grange Over Sands, Cumbria. | Photo: © RWD |
Each flower in the globular head is strikingly sharply star-like with a green centre. The spherical flowerheads, at 20-25cm across, are amongst the largest profuced by ornamental onions. |
15th June 2010, Grange Over Sands, Cumbria. | Photo: © RWD |
The flowers have six narrow sword-like mauve-coloured petals. |
15th June 2010, Grange Over Sands, Cumbria. | Photo: © RWD |
Un-opened flowers are long and narrow without green bracts. The flower stalk is up to three inches long, all radiating out from a hidden central area. |
15th June 2010, Grange Over Sands, Cumbria. | Photo: © RWD |
At the centre of each flower a latent light-green three-lobed seed pod resides, with six purple stamens radiating outwards, plus a seventh central one pointing upwards. These stamens have all lost the anthers which bore pollen. |
15th June 2010, Grange Over Sands, Cumbria. | Photo: © RWD |
There may be one prominent flower sticking proud of the majority with several stamens still bearing anthers with charcoal-grey pollen. |
15th June 2010, Grange Over Sands, Cumbria. | Photo: © RWD |
Stamens bearing charcoal-grey pollen. |
15th June 2010, Grange Over Sands, Cumbria. | Photo: © RWD |
The stamens (without anthers) radiating from the three-lobed six-segment seed-bearing pod. Note the central anther pointing straight at you. |
16th June 2010, Colwyn Bay, North Wales. | Photo: © RWD |
The flower-head all gone to seed. |
16th June 2010, Colwyn Bay, North Wales. | Photo: © RWD |
Greener pods. The straw-coloured spikes are the remnants of the anthers. |
15th June 2010, Grange Over Sands, Cumbria. | Photo: © RWD |
There are no stem leaves, just a basal rosette of U-shaped cross-section, light-green, long linear leaves bearing longish white hairs on the under-surface. |
Some similarities to : Uniquely identifiable characteristics Distinguishing Feature : No relation to : Star-of-Bethlehem [a plant with similar name]. Much more likely to be found in a garden environment than growing in the wild. Like many, but not all, members of the Garlic & Onion Family, it has a globular head bearing many flowers. In time, it may colonise an area.
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Allium | cristophii | ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ | Alliaceae |
Allium (Onions) |
Onion & Garlic Family [Alliaceae] |