The sand leek (''Allium scorodoprasum''), also known as rocambole and Korean pickled-peel garlic, is a

Eurasia Eurasia ( , ) is a continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. According to some geographers, Physical geography, physiographically, Eurasia is a single supercontinent. The concept of Europe and Asia as distinct continents d ...

n species of

wild onion Wild onion can refer to * any uncultivated species in the genus ''Allium'', especially: **'' Allium bisceptrum'' ** ''Allium canadense'' ** ''Allium tricoccum'' ** '' Allium validum'' ** '' Allium vineale'' ** ''Allium ochotense'' * '' Asphodelus te ...

with a native range extending across much of

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

, and

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> The species should not be confused with rocambole garlic, which is '' A. sativum'' var. ''ophioscorodon''.

Description

The sand leek is a

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

plant with an egg-shaped bulb. The plant produces two to five unstalked

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

, the bases of which are sheath-like. Each leaf blade is linear, wide, flat with a slight keel, an entire margin and parallel veins. The edges of the leaf and the central vein are rough to the touch. The flowering stem is cylindrical, growing to a height of and the upper half is leafless. The whole plant has an onion-like aroma. The

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

is a globular cluster surrounded by membranous bracts in bud which wither when the flowers open. Each individual flower is stalked and has a purple perianth long. There are six

tepal A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of very ...

s, six stamens and a pistil formed from three fused carpels. Mixed with the flowers are a number of purple

bulbil A bulbil (also referred to as a bulbel, bulblet, and/or pup) is a small, young plant that is reproduced vegetatively from axillary buds on the parent plant's stem or in place of a flower on an inflorescence. These young plants are clones of the p ...

s. The fruit is a capsule, but the seeds seldom set, and propagation usually takes place when the bulbils are knocked off and grow into new plants.

Distribution and habitat

The natural habitat of ''A. scorodoprasum'' is damp broad-leaved woodland, forest margins, shores, hillside meadows and hedgerows. It was at one time used as a kitchen herb and can sometimes be found near old habitations.

Cultivation

''A. scorodoprasum'' is edible but seldom cultivated, and has a shorter flower stalk and fewer and more inconsistently shaped cloves than Rocambole garlic. Sand leek also has a dark violet bulb wrapper.Growing Great Garlic, 2nd Edition, Filaree Productions, 1992, p. 7. Elephant garlic (properly ''A. ampeloprasum ''var.'' ampeloprasum'') is also sometimes incorrectly sold as ''A. scorodoprasum''.

Uses

The bulbs and flower bulbils can be cooked similar to garlic, with a milder flavor.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q161099 scorodoprasum Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Flora of Europe Garden plants Edible plants