Wild Onions

[Ann B.]

This is a different kind than normally seen in yards. I have no clue where it came from, but I have a tiny field of them.

The difference is that rather than forming seeds, it forms little bulbils after it flowers.

I'll take another picture of the bulbils as they get larger, but for now, I thought I would take a picture of a flower before all of the flowers are gone.

Below the flower, you can see the cluster of bulbils forming.

[Tom]

I think what you have is not wild onion, but wild garlic. The flower/bulblets on your tall stem look exactly like garlic. Check the leaves. Garlic has more rounded leaves that are hollow. It only takes one of these flower stems full of bulblets to produce a bunch of new plants.

The easiest way I've found to control them is digging. The only thing pulling will do is make your hands smell bad. The bulbs, and bulblet offsets underground will break away, and grow again. Just use a large screwdriver, or weed popper, or other digger, and pop the entire group of bulbs out. Don't worry about missing a few, you will find them later. :(

There are chemical controls, but they will also damage adjacent plants.

Here is a reference that may help: http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/C867-3.htm

[Ann B.]

Flat, solid leaves, Tom! And there is little or no smell to the leaves.

The bulbs are almost exactly the same size and shape as a pearl onion. They have a mild onion smell and taste.

A few years back, I sent some bulbs and bulbils to Martin in Wisconsin. Martin is an allium lover, and there was at one time a long discussion on the gw allium forum about these bulbs.

[Ann B.]

Here is an old picture that I sent to Martin when we were discussing them.

(That's a quarter in the plate with them - pictured dated June 2003 and include mature bulb as well as matured bulbils.)