Aloes and Lilies of Ethiopia and Eritrea

Key to the species
ALLIUM L.
ALLIUM 207
The genus includes bulbous herbs, easily recognized
by the characteristic smell of garlic or onion when cut
or crushed. The underground parts are single bulbs or
a cluster of slender bulblets. The leaves are tubular and
hollow, linear or flattened. The inflorescence is an umbel,
supported by 1–2 bracts, on a leafless stalk. The flowers
are often subtended by linear bracteoles. The tepals are 1­3
veined, free or joined at the base. The stamens are placed
in two whorls of three. The seeds are black, compressed,
three­angled to almost globose, not winged.
Between 500 and 600 species are recognized globally
with the main center of diversity in the Mediterranean
region. Five species are represented in the Flora area,
only two (A. alibile and A. subhirsutum) are indigenous
and are presented below.
1. Leaves cylindrical, hollow; spathe persistent; inner filaments with a
small basal tooth at each side 2
- Leaves flattened, keeled, not hollow; spathe persistent; inner filaments,
when present with 3 or more lateral projections or teeth 3
2. Leaves and inflorescence stalk slender, less than 4 mm in diameter, base not
widened; flowers lilac; bulbs densely clustered along rhizomes
A. schoenoprasum (chives)
- Leaves and inflorescence stalk more than 4 mm wide; stalk widening at the
base; flowers white; bulb solitary or clustered, rhizome absent
A. cepa (onions)
3. Bulb made of several more or less equal bulblets or single and virtually
indistinguishable from the base of the scape; plants cultivated 4
- Bulb single and prominent, with or without small, spherical bulblets;
plants not cultivated 5
4. Bulb well developed, spherical or ovoid, with several to many angular bulblets
held in a common covering; leaves less than 2.5 cm wide; flowers often poorly
developed and replaced by bulbils A. sativum (garlic)
- Bulb almost indinstingushable from base of stalk except for being lighter
coloured; bulblets if present, small and spherical; leaves over 2.5 cm broad;
umbels with well developed flowers A. porum (leek)