Nomenclature

Species name:

Allium commutatum   Guss.

Author(s):

Giovanni Gussone
   Italy, 1787-1866

Common name:

Wild Leek
Sea Garlic

Maltese name:

Kurrat Salvagg

Plant Family:

Alliaceae   (Onion Family)

Name Derivation:

Allium = Garlic (Latin);

commutatum = Changing, changeable; used for a species that is very similar to one already known (referring to A. ampeloprasum). It may also been used since the plant is quite variable. (Latin).

Synonyms:

Allium ampeloprasum subsp. ampeloprasum var. commutatum, A. ampeloprasum subsp. bimetrale, A. bimetrale, A. rotundum subsp. commutatum, A. willdii

Plant Description

Life Cycle:

Perennial

Habitat:

Fields (especially fallow or abandoned), field edges, disturbed soily ground near arable areas. Seems to prefer coastal areas.

Sources in Malta:

Frequent, examples including Mistra, Selmun, Wied babu, Lapsi, Qrendi (near Hagar Qim/Mnajdra), Dingli and Bahrija.

Plant Height:

50cm upto 180cm

Flowering Time:

May-Jul

A robust, hardy plant having a stout and tall flowering stem (scape) that produces a ball of numerous, lilac-purple flowers that have a strong garlic odour. This perennial and highly variable plant is developped from an underground bulb having a cream-coloured tunic. Small bulbils are initially retained in the tunic.



The leaves are up to 50cm long in larger specimen and found sheathing the lower third of the scape. They are flat and often bent inwards toward the longitudinal axis to form a channel-like, tapering leaf blade, between 10-32mm broad. The underside of the leaves have a keeled (longitudinally bulging) midrib. This and the blade margins are minutely toothed.

By the mid-April, the leaves start to dry off while the scape keeps growing higher. The spathe is spherical body with a flimsy, thin tip; longer from the spathe itself. At blossoming, the leaves would have dried off completely and the papery spathe falls off. This plant forms a ball-shaped umbel of densely packed flowers that can measure up to 9cm accross. It is estimated that such a flower-head may possess up to 500 individual flowers.

Each flower is about 6-7mm long and its colour varies from one specimen to another between pale lilac to purple-violet. Usually they have darker stipes, each found at the centre of each tepal. Each flower is held to the scape by a firm, spreading pedicel. The 6 identical tepals (perianth segments) overlap each other forming a closed, bell-shaped structure with a small apical opening. The cross section of the corolla is three-angled rather than perfectly circular.

The stamens have filaments slightly longer than the tepals and so their anthers are found just outside the rim of the corolla. The anthers are initially pale purple and becomes covered with yellow pollen when the burst open. The green, globose ovary and its small style are hidden inside the corolla. After fertilisation, the perianth segments, and stamens fall off leaving a small fruit capsule. When ripe the capsule splits open into 3 longitudinal compartments to liberate its tiny, black seeds.

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