Wild Garlic, Allium vineale
Family: Amaryllidaceae; Amaryllis Family
Vegetative Characteristics:
Seedling: rarely observed from seed, shoots from bulbs and mature leaves identical
Stems: slender, smooth, waxy, 0.3-0.9 m tall, leafy to near middle
Leaves: slender, hollow, nearly round, attached to lower half of stem, mostly 10.0-20.0 cm long
Reproductive Characteristics:
Inflorescences: greenish white, small, or short stems above aerial bulblets, wholly or partially replaced by bulblets
Aerial bulblets: wholly or partially replacing flower in umbel; ovoid, usually tipped by long, fragile, rudimentary leaf
Seeds: black, flat on one side, about 3.0 mm long, produced in spring and germinating the following fall, formed only occasionally
Bulbs: round-ovoid, 1.2 cm wide, enclosed within thin membranous sheath
Special Identifying Characteristics:
⇒ erect perennial her reproducing from seeds, aerial bulblets, and underground bulblets; leaves round, hollow; distinctive odor from allyl sulfide imparts a disagreeable flavor and odor to agricultural products such as milk and wheat.