Habit
Meneerke bloem, wikimedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Round-headed leek
Allium sphaerocephalon L.
Also known as: Drumstick allium
Family: Amaryllidaceae
40 to 80 cm tall
Dry meadows, rockeries, gardens, free-draining soils
Flowering: June – August
Full sun
Hardy to -25°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Its dark purple balls on long bare stems dot dry meadows attractively in midsummer. Both form a globular violet flower head on a long bare stem, but round-headed leek has a dense, uniform head, without bulbils, of a dark purple that is almost black, whereas crow garlic often mixes numerous burgundy-pink bulbils in with its few pale pink flowers, giving the head an irregular look.
🍃 Leaves
Narrow, cylindrical, hollow, bright green, often withering before flowering
🌸 Flowers
Small dark purple flowers grouped in a dense ball at the top of a long stem
🍎 Fruits
Small capsules containing black seeds
🪵 Bark
Underground bulb, bare upright flower stalk.
🗺️ Distribution
Europe, North Africa, western Asia; fairly rare, found in dry grassland and limestone rocky ground in France.
🐝 Value for pollinators
Globular purple flower heads rich in nectar, attractive to bees and butterflies in summer.
✂️ Horticultural uses
Rockeries, dry borders, edgings; late summer flowering among ornamental alliums.
⚠️ Possible toxicity
No known toxicity to humans; like other alliums, potentially irritating to dogs and cats in large quantities.
⚠️ Look-alike species
Round-headed leek
Allium sphaerocephalon
Crow garlic
Allium vineale
Both form a globular violet flower head on a long bare stem, but round-headed leek has a dense, uniform head, without bulbils, of a dark purple that is almost black, whereas crow garlic often mixes numerous burgundy-pink bulbils in with its few pale pink flowers, giving the head an irregular look.
🌿 Other Amaryllidaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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