Wild Garlic

Allium vineale L.

Liliaceae (Lily Family)

▲ ▼   mature plants in late fall through early spring

▲ leaves

▲ ▼   inflorescences, showing little bulbils forming

▲ ▼   inflorescences, showing little bulbils forming

▲ ▼   bulb

Wild Garlic/Wild Onion: 

           ·         Cool-season growing wild forms of garlic/onion with narrow, grass-like leaves and a garlic/onion odor

           ·         Both produce hardshell bulb offsets underground that can have a 5+ year dormancy

           ·         The dormant, hardshell bulbs reduce drying, weathering, herbicides

           ·         Consuming either one can affect milk, meat, flour/feed flavor, plus can cause toxic effects if consumed in higher quantities affects crop quality (odor/flavor)

                 ·         Wild Garlic is native to Europe and has round, hollow stems—more commonly seen

                 ·         Wild Onion is a U.S. native has flattened, solid leaves

           ·         Can be distinguished from false garlic, by lack of odor of false garlic leaves, and smaller flower clusters on false garlic

           ·         Can be distinguished from star-of-bethelehem by lack of odor and flatter leaves with prominent white midvein on star-of-bethlehem

           ·         Control:  competition from shading crops; mowing and tillage ineffective because of hardshell bulbs; chemical control by use of postemergent broadleaf herbicides when plants actively growing in late fall, early spring; repeat application may be needed