Allium cyaneum

Allium cyaneum, dark blue garlic, is a Chinese (天蓝韭, tian lan jiu, meaning "sky blue chive") species of onion. It prefers to grow at elevations from 2,100 m up to 5,000 m on slopes and meadows, and forest edges. It occurs in Gansu, Hubei, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Sichuan and Xizang (Tibet) provinces of China, and possibly in Korea. Its leaves and scapes are edible and are occasionally consumed by local peoples as a spice after drying.[2] Its has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit, and is also considered by them as a good plant to attract pollinators.[3]

Allium cyaneum
A. cyaneum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Amaryllidaceae
Subfamily: Allioideae
Genus: Allium
Species:
A. cyaneum
Binomial name
Allium cyaneum
Synonyms
  • Allium hugonianum Rendle
  • Allium purdomii W.W.Sm.
  • Allium szechuanicum F.T.Wang & Tang
  • Allium tui F.T.Wang & Tang

Description

A. cyaneum has cylindrical bulbs that grow in clusters. It spreads by rhizomes. The leaves and the scapes are usually 10 to 30 cm long, sometimes reaching 45 cm. Overall the plant typically reaches 25 cm tall. The flowers, as the scientific and common names suggest, are blue. It flowers and fruits from August to October.

References
  1. Trudy Imp. S.-Peterburgsk. Bot. Sada 3(2): 174 1875.
  2. Kang, Jin; Kang, Yongxiang; Ji, Xiaolian; Guo, Quanping; Jacques, Guillaume; Pietras, Marcin; Łuczaj, Nasim; Li, Dengwu; Łuczaj, Łukasz (1 June 2016). "Wild food plants and fungi used in the mycophilous Tibetan community of Zhagana (Tewo County, Gansu, China)". Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. 12 (21). doi:10.1186/s13002-016-0094-y. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  3. "Allium cyaneum dark blue garlic". Retrieved 26 November 2019.
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