Allium cyaneum explained

Allium cyaneum, dark blue garlic, is a Chinese (天蓝韭, tian lan jiu, meaning "sky blue chive") species of onion. It prefers to grow at elevations from on slopes and meadows, and forest edges. It occurs in Gansu, Hubei, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Sichuan and Xizang (Tibet) provinces of China, and possibly in Korea. Its leaves and scapes are edible and are occasionally consumed by local peoples as a spice after drying.[1] It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit, and is also considered by them as a good plant to attract pollinators.[2]

Description

Allium cyaneum has cylindrical bulbs that grow in clusters. It spreads by rhizomes. The leaves and the scapes are usually long, sometimes reaching . Overall the plant typically reaches tall. The flowers, as its scientific and common names suggest, are blue. It flowers and fruits from August to October.

Notes and References

  1. Kang . Jin . Kang . Yongxiang . Ji . Xiaolian . Guo . Quanping . Jacques . Guillaume . Pietras . Marcin . Łuczaj . Nasim . Li . Dengwu . Łuczaj . Łukasz . 1 June 2016 . Wild food plants and fungi used in the mycophilous Tibetan community of Zhagana (Tewo County, Gansu, China) . Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine . 12 . 21 . 21 . 10.1186/s13002-016-0094-y . 27251364 . 4890536 . free.
  2. Web site: Allium cyaneum . RHS . 4 June 2021.