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Society Garlic

I cropped this severely to create a different look...

 

The same flower cluster as earlier, but taken by a different camera.

I shot the first series using an iPhone 7 Plus.

I shot this series with a Canon SX60 HS.

I have not really compared them, so your observations are important to me.

 

Enhanced a bit for detail.

 

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Tulbaghia violacea, also known as society garlic or pink agapanthus, is a species of flowering plant in the onion family Alliaceae, indigenous to southern Africa (KwaZulu-Natal and Cape Province), and reportedly naturalized in Tanzania and Mexico.[1]

 

A native of South Africa it is a favored food and medicine of the Zulus. The botanical name is Tulbaghia violacea (tool-BAG-ee-uh vee-oh-LAY-see-ay or vie-oh-LAY-see-ay) Tulbaghia honors Ryk Tulbagh, 1699-1771, governor of the Cape of Good Hope. Violacea means violet-like, referring to the blossom.

 

One of the odd aspects of the most of the plants in the genus is that they are pollinated by moths at night when the plant manages to be lightly scented. T. violacea however is scented in the day and pollinated by bees and butterflies. (Moths are out only at night and butterflies only in the day.)

 

A second species, Tulbaghia alliacea, Isikhwa or Wild Garlic, is used in a similar fashion except its bulbs are cooked with meat or roasted and eaten. There are at least two cultivars, “John Rider” and “Silver Lace.” Their leaves and flowers also edible. The Silver Lace cultivar has a white stripe on each side of the leaf. Also edible is Tulbaghia ciolacea.

 

It’s called Society Garlic because Dutch settlers to South Africa thought it was a more polite spice to use for flavoring dishes than true garlic particularly for social events. Oh… and alliacea… (al-lee-AY-see-uh) means like onions.

Growing to 60 cm (24 in) tall by 25 cm (10 in) wide, it is a clump-forming perennial with narrow leaves and large clusters of fragrant, violet flowers from midsummer to autumn (fall).[2][3]

 

When grown as an ornamental, this plant requires some protection from winter frosts. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[4]

 

Medicinal uses[edit]

T. violacea is used locally as a herbal remedy/medicine to treat several ailments. Recently it was demonstrated to have androgenic[5] and anti-cancer[6] properties in vitro.

 

T. violacea exhibited antithrombotic activities which were higher than those found in garlic.[7]

 

IMG_3002 - Version 4

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Uploaded on January 18, 2017
Taken on January 16, 2017