Nomenclature

Species name:

Allium subhirsutum   L.

Author(s):

Carl von Linné
   Sweden, 1707-1778

Common name:

Hairy Garlic

Maltese name:

Hairy Garlic

Plant Family:

Alliaceae   (Onion Family)

Name Derivation:

Allium = Garlic (Latin);

subhirsutum = Slightly hairy (Latin).

Synonyms:

Allium ciliatum, A. clusianum, A. hirsutum, A. loiseleurii, A. niveum, A.

Plant Description

Life Cycle:

Perennial

Habitat:

Rocky places, waste places and sometimes at valley sides

Sources in Malta:

Frequent namely at Selmun, Mistra, Buekett/Clapham junction and Ramla l-Hamra (Gozo)

Plant Height:

20-40cm

Flowering Time:

Apr-May

A delicate, perennial plant surviving summer by its underground spherical bulbs covered with a pale tunic. Smaller bulbils are formed every year.

The plant forms 3 to 4 leaves that are 3-9mm wide, linear, soft, very long (15cm - 30cm) and taper to a pointed tip. They are slightly ciliated, hence the name "hairy garlic" though the fine hair is confined only to the leaf margins.

A scape of about 20-45cm long is formed in late Winter and exposes its sparce umbel of about 20 flowers from April. The spathe is short, oval-shaped with a short pointed tip. The flowers have fairly long pedicels (stalks) ranging from 15-35mm long. Each flower has 6 pure-white perianth segments (petals) which are spread out and usually indipendant from each other or osometimes verlap slightly just at their margins. They are 6-9mm long with a blunt tip.

There are 6 stamens about half as long as the perianth segments. The anthers are orange-brown which can become pale yellow when covered with their pollen. The central superior ovary is pale green and have a short inconspicuos style and stigma. The fruit is an oval 3mm capsule that splits open into 3 compartments when ripe to liberate its small, black seeds.

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