Jorielle's Blog

Allium triquetrum (threecorner leek)
Mar 28, 2008 | 11:21 PM PST

 Flowers: White, multiple nodding flowers at top of stem, 3 petals and 3 sepals each.

Blooms: January - May.

Leaves: Flat, long and linear, from base of plant; with pronounced keel (linear ridge) on underside.

Fruit/Seeds:
 Several black seeds in a rounded pod, mid-summer.

Location: 
Disturbed areas with loose soil, grassy areas, lawns, road medians, etc.

Status: Alien - Invasive. 

Bulb growing to 0.35m. It is hardy to zone 8 and is not frost tender. It is in leaf from February to July, in flower from April to June. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees and insects. We rate it 5 out of 5 for usefulness.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations: Hedgerow, Woodland, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge, Deep Shade.

Bulb - raw or cooked. The rather small bulb is up to 20mm in diameter[200], it has a mild garlic flavour and can be used as a flavouring in salads and cooked foods. It is harvested in early summer when the plant has died down and will store for at least 6 months[K].

Leaves - raw or cooked. A leek substitute[22]. The leaves are available from late autumn until the spring, they are nice in salads when they are young, or cooked as a vegetable or flavouring as they get older[K]. The leaves have a milder and more delicate flavour than onions[183].

Flowers - raw. Juicy with a mild garlic flavour, they make a tasty and decorative garnish on salads[K].

Cultivation details

Prefers a rich moist but well-drained soil[1, 42]. Shade tolerant[31], it is easily grown in a cool leafy soil[90] and grows well in light moist woodland[203].

Plants are not very hardy outside the milder areas of Britain, they tolerate temperatures down to between -5 and -10°c.

The bulbs should be planted fairly deeply[1].

The seeds have an oil-bearing appendage which is attractive to ants. The ants carry the seed away to eat the oil and then discard the seed, thus aiding dispersal of the plant[203].

Grows well with most plants, especially roses, carrots, beet and chamomile, but it inhibits the growth of legumes[18, 20, 54]. This plant is a bad companion for alfalfa, each species negatively affecting the other[201].

The flowers are sweetly scented[245]. The picked flowers can remain fresh for several weeks[89].

Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[233].

http://www.backyardgardener.co
m/plantname/pda_4b79.html

Remove small and scattered plants first and then target outer edges of larger infestations. Best removed prior to seed when plants are fully grown and parent bulb