Allium 2012

[McDonough]

At peak bloom now are two Asian allium species, the purple has been distributed as Allium aff. thunbergii DJH (Dan J. Hinkley), but is likely to actually be Allium sacculiferum.  The white allium is a particularly handsome robust form of Allium thunbergii alba I picked up at a general garden center.  In the first photo, the composition was chosen to show the typical disposition A. thunbergii flowers; lax, flowers facing out and downwards, an informal mop-head, florets with very long stamens; whereas Allium sacculiferum (almost always misidentified as thunbergii) has tight spheres of bloom, shorter pedicels thus smaller inflorescence globes, much higher number of florets per head, among other differences.




Two views of Allium thunbergii alba and purple Allium sacculiferum.  In the first of the three views, if you look closely, a tiny Allium virgunculae is starting to show purple bud color in the lower right.




A closer view of Allium sacculiferum; the saucer-shaped forets are densely packed into spherical heads, better photos than the last ones I showed on a dreary drizzly day.




View of Allium thunbergii alba, with such long and lovely "eyelashes":

[RickR]

It's hard to imagine that Allium thunbergii and Allium sacculiferum could be so easily confused.  It seems so obvious.  Thanks, Mark, for such good identification photos.  My A. thunbergii alba, from a forumist here, should begin blooming any day now.

[Hoy]

I have always thought of Alliums as spring and summer blooming bulbs, but obviously I have to reconsider that! Seems I have to make room for some in my garden . . . . Hope they tolerate some autumn rain

[McDonough]

Note: Recent posts to Allium 2012 have been split off to create "Allium 2013" topic, follow it here:
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=1305.msg22139