ALLIUM PLATAKISII

Family and Genus:- See- ALLIACEAE/Sect. CODONOPRASUM

Common Names:- None

Homotypic Synonyms:- None

Meaning:- Allium (L) The ancient Latin name for garlic.

Platakisii (L) Named after the Greek naturalist E. Platakis.

Resembling A. tardans, described below but with the following differences:

1) Leaves sheathing the stem only halfway

2) Inflorescence with more numerous, short-pedicellate flowers.

3) Flowers narrowly urceolate with whitish perianth segments 6-7 mm.

General description:- Bulbous perennial plants, usually smelling strongly of garlic

or onion.

Bulb:- 10-15 mm diam; outer tunics membranous, breaking into strips, continued

upwards as a neck around base of the stem.

Stem:- 10-30 cm.

Leaves:- 3-4, up to 160 x 0·5 mm, Thread-like, withered at flowering time, much

longer than the stem, sheathing the lower 7/8 of the stem.

Flowers:-

1) Spathe 2-valved; valves persistent, unequal, one 25-40 mm, much longer than the

umbel, narrowly triangular at the base, contracted above into a long appendage, the

other valve 7-20 mm.

2) Umbel 10-25 mm diam, parallel, clustered, and erect, 6-15-flowered.

3) Perianth bell-shaped, erect; segments 5-6·5 x 1·8-2 mm, pale pink, with green

mid-vein, the outer narrowly oblong, the inner Inverted lance-shaped, rounded and

almost truncate at apex.

4) Stamens included or with anthers partly exserted; filaments 5-5·5 mm, united at

base into an annulus 1·5 mm high; anthers pink before dehiscence, later whitish.

5) Ovary narrowly oblong-ellipsoid, deeply grooved lengthwise.

Fruit:- Capsule 4.5 mm.

Key features of Allium platakisii

1) Perianth cylindrical, somewhat urceolate.

2) Leaves sheathing the stem c. halfway.

3) Perianth segments 6-7 mm, whitish.

For a more detailed account of Allium platakisii

See https://www.herbmedit.org/flora/3-309.pdf

Habitat:- Coastal limestone cliffs'

Distribution:- Endemic to Crete. Described in 1993 and so far known only from the

small island of Pondikonisi off NW Crete;

Flowering time:- Sept-Oct.

Photos by:-