FNPS Plant Database

Allium canadense

meadow garlic

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Nomenclature

Common Name:

meadow garlic

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Allium canadense

Family:

Alliaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

flower

Size:

1 ft tall by 0.1 ft wide but spreads through creation of new bulbs and can form relatively large clumps and patches.

Life Span:

long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white

Fruit Color:

brown

Phenology:

Summer and fall dormant. Leaves emerge in the winter and it blooms in early spring.

Noted For:

Aroma, Fragrance, Showy Flowers

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Wildflower garden, rain garden, bioswale, or herb garden.

Considerations:

Availability:

Seed

Propagation:

Transplant or divide bulbs, plant bulblets that are produced in the flower heads, or grow from seed.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded------------------------------------------------Extremely Dry

-|----|----|----|----|- <------> ----|----|----|----|---

Stays Wet ---to--- Not wet but not extremely dry

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water.

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Clay, Loam, Sand

Soil pH:

6.5-7.5

Suitable to Grow In:

8A, 8B, 9A, 9B

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.



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Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Bees

Pollinated by bees and other insects.

Native Habitats:

Ruderal, especially roadside ditches

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

Add to your herb garden next to the chives. Leaves are solid (not hollow like chives and other onions) and all parts of the plant can be used raw or cooked to add a mild garlicky flavor.

General Comments:

The inflorescence consists of a few long-stalked flowers with 6 tepals and many bulblets that tend to sprout in place. The first leaf from the bulblet tends to curl giving the structure a wild-haired appearance.

Citations:

Osorio, Rufino. 2001. A Gardener's Guide to Florida's Native Plants. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.


Stibolt, Ginny and Melissa Markham. 2023. Organic Methods for Vegetable Gardening in Florida (2nd ed.). University Press of Florida, Gainesville.

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