Wild garlic (Allium ursinum)
Common names: wild garlic, ramson, buckram, broad-leaved garlic, wood garlic, bear leek, bear’s garlic
Scientific name: Allium ursinum
Family: Liliaceae
Origin: native
Flowering season: April to June
Habitat: woodland, hedgerows
What does wild garlic look like?
Wild garlic is a medium-sized bulbous perennial with a distinctive and pungent garlicky smell that pervades woodland in spring.
Leaves: long, pointed and oval in shape with untoothed edges. They grow from the plant base and the bulb and have a strong garlic scent.
Flowers: small, white, with six petals on a thin stalk. Around 25 flowers form each rounded flower cluster which is held high on a single, leafless stalk.
Fruit/seeds: wild garlic reproduces through bulbs, bulbils and very occasionally seeds. The seeds are 2–3mm long, flattish on one side and black and are dispersed when the parts of the plant above ground die down.
Not to be confused with: lily-of-the-valley when not in flower, though the leaves of wild garlic grow from the plant base whereas lily-of-the-valley has two or three leaves on its stem. When in flower, lily-of-the-valley is easily distinguishable from wild garlic as it has bell-shaped, white flowers. Lily-of-the-valley is poisonous so be sure to fully identify wild garlic before foraging.
Did you know?
The second half of the Latin name, ursinum, refers to the fact that brown bears loved to eat the bulb. This also gave rise to two of its common names – bear’s leek and bear garlic.
Wild garlic (Allium ursinum)
Common names: wild garlic, ramson, buckram, broad-leaved garlic, wood garlic, bear leek, bear’s garlic
Scientific name: Allium ursinum
Family: Liliaceae
Origin: native
Flowering season: April to June
Habitat: woodland, hedgerows
What does wild garlic look like?
Wild garlic is a medium-sized bulbous perennial with a distinctive and pungent garlicky smell that pervades woodland in spring.
Leaves: long, pointed and oval in shape with untoothed edges. They grow from the plant base and the bulb and have a strong garlic scent.
Flowers: small, white, with six petals on a thin stalk. Around 25 flowers form each rounded flower cluster which is held high on a single, leafless stalk.
Fruit/seeds: wild garlic reproduces through bulbs, bulbils and very occasionally seeds. The seeds are 2–3mm long, flattish on one side and black and are dispersed when the parts of the plant above ground die down.
Not to be confused with: lily-of-the-valley when not in flower, though the leaves of wild garlic grow from the plant base whereas lily-of-the-valley has two or three leaves on its stem. When in flower, lily-of-the-valley is easily distinguishable from wild garlic as it has bell-shaped, white flowers. Lily-of-the-valley is poisonous so be sure to fully identify wild garlic before foraging.
Did you know?
The second half of the Latin name, ursinum, refers to the fact that brown bears loved to eat the bulb. This also gave rise to two of its common names – bear’s leek and bear garlic.