|wild leek or elephant garlic|
Allium ampeloprasum is a member of the onion genus Allium. The wild plant is commonly known as wild leek or broadleaf wild leek. Its native range is southern Europe to western Asia, but it is cultivated in many other places and has become naturalized in many countries.
Allium ampeloprasum is regarded as native to all the countries bordering on the Black, Adriatic, and Mediterranean Seas from Portugal to Egypt to Romania. In Russia and Ukraine, it is considered invasive except in Crimea, where it is native. It is also native to Ethiopia, Uzbekistan, Iran and Iraq. It is considered naturalized in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Czech Republic, the Baltic States, Belarus, the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, China, Australia (all states except Queensland and Tasmania), Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Haiti, the United States (southeastern region plus California, New York State, Ohio and Illinois), Galápagos, and Argentina.
Wild populations produce bulbs up to 3 cm across. Scapes are round in cross-section, each up to 180 cm tall, bearing an umbel of as many as 500 flowers. Flowers are urn-shaped, up to 6 mm across; tepals white, pink or red; anthers yellow or purple; pollen yellow.
Allium ampeloprasum comprises several vegetables, of which the most important ones are known as
- leek (English), poireau (French), alho porro (Portuguese), cebolla puerro (Spanish);
- great-headed garlic, elephant garlic (English), ail à grosse tête (French);
- pearl onion (English), poireau perpétuel, petit poireau antillais (French), alho bravo, alho inglês (Portuguese)
- kurrat (English, French) (Arabic: كراث).
- تره (Tareh) (Allium ampeloprasum ssp. persicum) (Persian)
- இராகூச்சிட்டம் (Iraakuuccittam) (Tamil)
- ګندنه(Gandana, Pashto)
- गंधना/गंदना (Gandhna, Gandana: Hindi)
- Maroy napakpi (Meetei)
Allium ampeloprasum - MHNT
- The Plant List
- Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Allium ampeloprasum
- Flora of North America v 26 p 238, Allium ampeloprasum'
- BONAP (Biota of North America Program) floristic synthesis, Allium ampeloprasum'
- Flora of China v 24 p 200, Allium porrum
- Altervista, Schede di Botanica
- Plants for a Future: Allium ampeloprasum
- CHRISTOPHER D. PRESTON, DAVID A. PEARMAN, ALLAN R. HALL (2004) Archaeophytes in Britain Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 145 (3), 257–294 doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.2004.00284.x, p. 264
- YorkCounty.gov - Yorktown Onion
- Gleason, H. A. & A.J. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of the Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada (ed. 2) i–910. New York Botanical Garden, Bronx.
- Grubben, G.J.H. & Denton, O.A. (2004) Plant Resources of Tropical Africa 2. Vegetables. PROTA Foundation, Wageningen; Backhuys, Leiden; CTA, Wageningen.