ALLIUM TARDANS

Including:- Allium platakisii

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

Common Names:- None

Homotypic Synonyms:- Allium serotinum.

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

Tardans (L) Slow, late, retarded.

General description:- Bulbous perennial plants.

Bulb:-

1) 10-15 mm diam. outer tunics membranous, breaking into strips, continued

upwards as a neck around base of stem.

Stem:-

1)10-30 cm.

Leaves:-

1) 3-4, up to 160 x 0·5 mm filiform, sheathing.the stem for 5/6, overtopping it but,

withered at anthesis.

Flowers:-

1) Spathe 2-valved.

a) valves, persistent, unequal, one 25-40 mm, much longer than the umbel,

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

7-20 mm.

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

3) Perianth, campanulate, erect.

4) Perianth segments, 5-6·5 x 1·8-2 mm, pale pink, with green mid-vein.

a) outer, narrowly oblong.

b) inner, oblanceolate, rounded and almost truncate at the apex.

5) Stamens, included or with the anthers partly exserted.

a) filaments, 5-5·5 mm, united at base into an annulus 1·5 mm high.

b) anthers, pink before dehiscence, later whitish.

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

Fruit:-

1) Capsule, 4.5 mm.

Key features:-

1) Umbel, compact.

2) Longest pedicels, usually less than 20 mm.

3) Leaves, sheathing c. 7/8 of stem.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Dry open shrubby vegetation, calcareous cliffs, gorges, fallow fields and

dolines, generally over limestone.0-1700 m.

Distribution:- Endemic to Crete and Karpathos.

Flowering time:- Aug-Oct.

Photos by:- Steve Lenton

ALLIUM PLATAKISII

Homotypic Synonyms:- None

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

Resembling Allium tardans, but differering in the following characters:

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.

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:- Currently unavailable