Relatives
Allium austrosibiricum Friesen - South-Siberian chive.
Taxonomic position.
Family Alliaceae J.Agardh, genus Allium L.Synonyms.
A. senescens var. montanum Kryl., A. senescens auct. non L.Morphology and biology.
Perennial, herbaceous, bulbous plant. Clustered in groups on a creeping rhizome, bulbs are conical, cylindrical, curved, coated in blackish, filmy membranes. Stalk is 15-40 cm in length. Leaves, 4-6 in number, clustered near the bottom of the stalk, are flat, linear, narrow. Umbel is hemispherical or globular, polyanthous, dense. Tepals are pink, ending in an oval-shaped, obtusely pointed edge. Stamens are 1.5-2.0 times longer than the perianth, solid, subulate; internal stamens are twice as wide as the external ones. Style protrudes from the perianth. 2n=16.Distribution.
Siberia (Mountainous Altai, Tuva) and Northwestern Mongolia.Ecology.
Petrophyte. Stony steppes.Utilization and economic value.
Used as a table (vegetable) plant and a source of vitamins. Closely related to the domesticated sp. A. nutans.References:
Friesen, N.V. 1988. Onions plants of Siberia. Novosibirsk: Nauka, p.157 (in Russian).Malyshev L.I., Peshkova G.A., eds. 1987. Flora of Siberia. Araceae - Orchidaceae. V. 4. Novosibirsk: Nauka, pp.93-94 (in Russian).