Allium rubrum

At a glance

Exposure: Full sun
Frost limit: −40 °C

Cultivation

Prefers a sunny position in a light well-drained soil. The bulbs should be planted fairly deeply. Grows well with most plants, especially roses, carrots, beet and chamomile, but it inhibits the growth of legumes. Very closely related to A. geyeri and perhaps no more than a part of that species. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer.

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle - if you want to produce clumps more quickly then put three plants in each pot. Grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter and plant them out into their permanent positions in spring once they are growing vigorously and are large enough. Division in spring. The plants divide successfully at any time in the growing season, pot up the divisions in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are growing well and then plant them out into their permanent positions.

Edible uses

Bulb - raw or cooked. Leaves - raw or cooked. Flowers - raw. Used as a garnish on salads.

Medicinal uses

Although no specific mention of medicinal uses has been seen for this species, members of this genus are in general very healthy additions to the diet. They contain sulphur compounds (which give them their onion flavour) and when added to the diet on a regular basis they help reduce blood cholesterol levels, act as a tonic to the digestive system and also tonify the circulatory system[K].

Material uses

The juice of the plant is used as a moth repellent. The whole plant is said to repel insects and moles.

Habitat

To 3000 metres in the White Mountains, Arizona.

Native range

Western N. America - British Columbia to Alberta, south to Arizona and New Mexico.