Allium thunbergii

Flower name
Allium thunbergii
Scientific name
Allium thunbergii
Alias山辣韭
Place of originJapan, the Korean Peninsula, mainland China, and Taiwan
Place of floweringFields and footpaths, Low mountains
Flowering seasonOctober, November

What is Allium thunbergii

Allium thunbergii or yama-rakkyou(Mountain Japanese leek), scientific name: Allium thunbergii, is a perennial bulb plant native to Japan, the Korean Peninsula, mainland China, and Taiwan, and belongs to the leek family. It grows wild in grasslands in the mountains of Tohoku to Shikoku and Kyushu prefectures south of Fukushima Prefecture. The grass is 30-60 cm tall. The underground stem is thin and columnar, and produces 3 to 5 leaves from its base in spring. From September to November, it produces a sporophyllous inflorescence at the top of the stem with numerous small reddish-purple flowers on the tips of short petioles that form a sphere. The inflorescence is 3 to 4 cm in diameter. Each petiole has six reddish-purple petals with rounded tips, and the flowers do not open flat. There are six stamens with purple anthers and one pistil, both of which protrude from the petiole. The fruit that follows the flower is a capsule 0.5 cm in diameter and inverted-centered in shape. The fruit contains black seeds. The above-ground part withers in winter. It is a member of the Chinese chive (Allium chinense) family. In spring, the leaves are used as a wild vegetable in tempura and stir-fried dishes, while the scaly stems are boiled and eaten with miso paste.

Origin of the flower name
The genus name "Allium" means "smell" or "garlic" in Latin, and the species name "thunbergii" is a dedication to Dr. Carl Peter Thunberg, a Swedish botanist, naturalist, and physician who was a student of Dr. Linnaeus.

Common name: Allium thunbergii or yama-rakkyou(Mountain Japanese leek),Scientific name: Allium thunbergii, Origin: Japan, Korean Peninsula, Mainland China, Taiwan, Distribution: Honshu to Shikoku, Kyushu south of Fukushima Prefecture, Living environment: Mountain meadows, Habitat: grasslands, height: 30 - 40 cm, Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean Sea Flowering season: September to November; Petiole length: 1 to 1.5 cm; Inflorescence shape: spherical, sporadic; Inflorescence diameter: 3 to 4 cm; Flower petiole color: red-purple with a rounded tip that does not open flat; Petiole: 6; Stamens and pistils protrude; Number of stamens: 6, Fruit type: capsule; fruit shape: inverted-centered; fruit diameter: 0.5 cm; seed color: black.