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Useful Temperate Plants

Nothoscordum gracile

(Aiton) Stearn

Amaryllidaceae

+ Synonyms

Allium bivalve fragrans (Vent.) Kuntze

Allium borbonicum Regel

Allium fragrans Vent.

Allium gracile Aiton

Allium hyemale Raf.

Allium inodorum non L.

Geboscon fragrans (Vent.) House

Hesperocles fragrans (Vent.) Salisb.

Maligia gracilis (Aiton) Raf.

Milla macrostemon (Kunth) Baker

Milla macrostemon gracilis (Aiton) Baker

Nothoscordum castilloi T.M.Howard

Nothoscordum fragrans (Vent.) Kunth

Nothoscordum inodorum angustius Ravenna

Nothoscordum inodorum macrostemon (Kunth) Beauverd

Nothoscordum inodorum nepalense Beauverd

Nothoscordum inodorum nocturnum Ravenna

Nothoscordum inodorum uruguayense Beauverd

Nothoscordum macrostemon Kunth

Sowerbaea americana Spreng. ex Baker

Common Name: False Garlic

Nothoscordum gracile
Flowers
Photograph by: Dick Culbert
Creative Commons License
Nothoscordum gracile Nothoscordum gracile Nothoscordum gracile

General Information

Nothoscordum gracile is a perennial plant, producing a rosette of spear-shaped leaves about 45cm tall from an underground bulb[
2211
Title
On the Occurrence and Taxonomy of False Garlic - Nothoscordum gracile (Aiton) Stearn (Amaryllidaceae), an Invasive W
Publication
Phytomorphology 72(1&2) 2022, 13-16
Author
Dalavi J. et al
Website
http://10.56024/ispm.72.1&2.2022/13-16
Publisher
 
Year
2022
ISBN
 
Description
 
].
The bulb is sometimes gathered from the wild and used as a substitute for garlic. The plant is sometimes grown as a food crop and also as an ornamental[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
,
2211
Title
On the Occurrence and Taxonomy of False Garlic - Nothoscordum gracile (Aiton) Stearn (Amaryllidaceae), an Invasive W
Publication
Phytomorphology 72(1&2) 2022, 13-16
Author
Dalavi J. et al
Website
http://10.56024/ispm.72.1&2.2022/13-16
Publisher
 
Year
2022
ISBN
 
Description
 
].
Nothoscordum gracile is highly invasive and difficult to control. Plants produce 20 - 50 bulblets each year - these get detached from the mother plant and spread through soil translocation or plowing in farms. The plant also produces up to 2,000 seeds annually with a high level of viability. It has the ability to invade cultivated fields and open areas along roadsides and gardens and it is very tricky to remove this species from the invaded area due to its gregarious perennation by numerous bulblets and seeds. The plant has become an established weed in many countries outside its native range, from the temperate zone to the tropics[
2211
Title
On the Occurrence and Taxonomy of False Garlic - Nothoscordum gracile (Aiton) Stearn (Amaryllidaceae), an Invasive W
Publication
Phytomorphology 72(1&2) 2022, 13-16
Author
Dalavi J. et al
Website
http://10.56024/ispm.72.1&2.2022/13-16
Publisher
 
Year
2022
ISBN
 
Description
 
].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
,
270
Title
Flora of N. America
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.
,
2211
Title
On the Occurrence and Taxonomy of False Garlic - Nothoscordum gracile (Aiton) Stearn (Amaryllidaceae), an Invasive W
Publication
Phytomorphology 72(1&2) 2022, 13-16
Author
Dalavi J. et al
Website
http://10.56024/ispm.72.1&2.2022/13-16
Publisher
 
Year
2022
ISBN
 
Description
 

Range

South America - Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia; through central America to southern Mexico.

Habitat

Sandy roadsides, woods and cultivated ground in southeastern N. America[
72
Title
Manual of the Southeastern Flora.
Publication
 
Author
Small J.K.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
University of N. Carolina Press.
Year
1933
ISBN
 
Description
Getting rather dated now, an immense work covering the flora of Southeastern N. America. No pictures, it is not for the casual reader. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
]. Roadsides, waste places, disturbed lands, landscaped areas, gardens, etc.

Properties

Weed PotentialYes
Edibility Rating *  *  *
Medicinal Rating *
HabitBulb
Height0.45 m
PollinatorsInsects
Cultivation StatusCultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details


Prefers a light sandy soil in a sunny position[
42
Title
Hardy Bulbs.; Including Half-hardy Bulbs and Tuberous and Fiberous-rooted Plants
Publication
 
Author
Grey. C. H.
Publisher
Williams & Norgate.
Year
1938
ISBN
-
Description
Rather dated now, but an immense work on bulbs for temperate zones and how to grow them. Three large volumes.
].
This species reproduces freely when in good growing conditions and has become a weed in some gardens[
42
Title
Hardy Bulbs.; Including Half-hardy Bulbs and Tuberous and Fiberous-rooted Plants
Publication
 
Author
Grey. C. H.
Publisher
Williams & Norgate.
Year
1938
ISBN
-
Description
Rather dated now, but an immense work on bulbs for temperate zones and how to grow them. Three large volumes.
,
2211
Title
On the Occurrence and Taxonomy of False Garlic - Nothoscordum gracile (Aiton) Stearn (Amaryllidaceae), an Invasive W
Publication
Phytomorphology 72(1&2) 2022, 13-16
Author
Dalavi J. et al
Website
http://10.56024/ispm.72.1&2.2022/13-16
Publisher
 
Year
2022
ISBN
 
Description
 
].
The flowers open in the late afternoon and have a rich, sweet lily-like perfume[
245
Title
Scented Flora of the World.
Publication
 
Author
Genders. R.
Publisher
Robert Hale. London.
Year
1994
ISBN
0-7090-5440-8
Description
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.
].

Edible Uses

Bulb - raw or cooked. The leaves and bulbs are used like garlic (Allium sativum)[
2
Title
Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World.
Publication
 
Author
Hedrick. U. P.
Publisher
Dover Publications
Year
1972
ISBN
0-486-20459-6
Description
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
,
1438
Title
Food Plants in the Americas: A Survey of the Domesticated, Cultivated, and Wild Plants Used for Human Food in North,
Publication
 
Author
Kermath B.M.; Bennett B.C.' Pulsipher L.M.
Publisher
 
Year
2014
ISBN
 
Description
A pre-publication draft of an amazing, on-going work first started in 1985. It contains information on more than 3,900 taxa from the Americas - from Arctic regions to the Tropics
]. The bulb is used as a spice[
105
Title
Tanaka's Cyclopedia of Edible Plants of the World.
Publication
 
Author
Tanaka. T. & Nakao S.
Publisher
Keigaku Publishing; Tokyo
Year
1976
ISBN
-
Description
The most comprehensive list of edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
,
177
Title
Plants for Human Consumption.
Publication
 
Author
Kunkel. G.
Publisher
Koeltz Scientific Books
Year
1984
ISBN
3874292169
Description
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
,
183
Title
Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Facciola. S.
Publisher
Kampong Publications
Year
1990
ISBN
0-9628087-0-9
Description
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
,
2211
Title
On the Occurrence and Taxonomy of False Garlic - Nothoscordum gracile (Aiton) Stearn (Amaryllidaceae), an Invasive W
Publication
Phytomorphology 72(1&2) 2022, 13-16
Author
Dalavi J. et al
Website
http://10.56024/ispm.72.1&2.2022/13-16
Publisher
 
Year
2022
ISBN
 
Description
 
]. The bulb is about 15mm in diameter[
270
Title
Flora of N. America
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.
].

Medicinal

Fragrant false garlic is a rich source of alkaloids, carbohydrates, flavonoids, glycosides, steroids and tannins, many elements which are useful in the treatment of many diseases[
2211
Title
On the Occurrence and Taxonomy of False Garlic - Nothoscordum gracile (Aiton) Stearn (Amaryllidaceae), an Invasive W
Publication
Phytomorphology 72(1&2) 2022, 13-16
Author
Dalavi J. et al
Website
http://10.56024/ispm.72.1&2.2022/13-16
Publisher
 
Year
2022
ISBN
 
Description
 
].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as ripe in a cold frame[
1
Title
RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
Publication
 
Author
F. Chittendon.
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Year
1951
ISBN
-
Description
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
]. Spring sown seed germinates freely[
K
Title
Plants for a Future
Author
Ken Fern
Description
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in spring.
Division of offsets after the leaves die down in summer. Larger bulbs can be replanted immediately into their permanent positions. It is best to pot up the smaller bulbs and grow them on for a year before planting them out when dormant in late summer.
Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2024-12-07. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Nothoscordum+gracile>

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