Garden Onion
Allium proliferum
- Native to:
- Turkmenistan
Kurt Stüber [1] (www.kurtstueber.de)
Taxonomy
- Division:
- Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
- Family:
- Liliaceae
- Genus:
- Allium
- Species:
- Allium proliferum
- USDA Symbol:
- ALPR6
Growth Characteristics
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Growth Habit:
- Geophyte
- Height:
- 90 cm
- Light Requirements:
- Full Sun
- Drought Tolerance:
- Medium
- Bloom Months:
- jun,jul,aug
- Bloom Colors:
- white, pink
- Food Forest:
- Contains edible parts
Wildlife Benefits
- Bees:
- ★☆☆☆☆ Documented bee visitation (GBIF)
- Butterflies & Moths:
- ★☆☆☆☆ Documented Lepidoptera association (GBIF)
- Caterpillars:
- ★★★☆☆ Recorded caterpillar host plant (HOSTS Database)
Host Plant for Caterpillars
Agrotis orthogonia, Alfalfa Looper (Autographa californica), Army cutworm (Euxoa auxiliaris), Armyworm moth (Pseudaletia unipuncta), beet armyworm (Spodoptera exigua), Beet Webworm (Loxostege sticticalis), Black cutworm (Agrotis ipsilon), clover cutworm (Agrotis gladiaria), darksided cutworm (Euxoa messoria), Euxoa punctigera, Euxoa tessellata, Eversmann's rustic (Actebia fennica), Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda), fruit-tree leafroller (Archips argyrospila), Pyrausta sp., rascal dart moth (Agrotis malefida), Salt Marsh Moth (Estigmene acrea), Setaceous Hebrew Character (Xestia c-nigrum), Variegated cutworm (Peridroma saucia), Virginia Tiger Moth (Spilosoma virginica), Western yellowstriped armyworm (Spodoptera praefica), Yellow-striped armyworm (Spodoptera ornithogalli), zebra caterpillar moth (Melanchra picta)
Reported Fauna Sightings
Bees: Brown-belted bumble (Bombus griseocollis), Eastern Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa virginica), ⚠️Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) Butterflies:Argynnis zerene
Garden & Ecology Notes
- Wildlife Value:
- bees, butterflies
- Deer Resistant:
- Yes
- Fragrant:
- Yes
Soil Requirements
- Soil Type:
- rich, well-drained loamy soil
- pH:
- 6.0 - 7.0 (slightly acidic to neutral)
- Drainage:
- excellent drainage required
- Moisture:
- consistently moist
- Notes:
- Prefers fertile soils with good organic content
Propagation & Germination
- Stratification:
- Cold/moist stratification required — 30–60 days
- Germination Time:
- 14–30 days
- Notes:
- Often propagated vegetatively from bulbils rather than seed. Bulbils form in flower head and readily establish when they drop.
The above propagation data sourced from Claude AI
ORGHPS Germination Guide: Seed viability < 1 year for cold germinators except for A. cristophii