Few-flowered leek: how to recognise, grow & propagate
The rather unknown few-flowered leek will love anyone who also likes wild garlic. Here we explain how to tell the two seasoning herbs apart – and everything else you need to know about the leafy vegetable.
Few-flowered leek (Allium paradoxum) is excellent for enhancing dishes. It is harvested during the year as one of the first leafy vegetables. You can find out here about the other special features of this type of leek.
Contents
Recognising few-flowered leek
The most obvious features of the plant are its long, narrow leaves and garlicky odour. You can find the wild plant, for example, in floodplain forests. Below we explain where the leafy vegetable originally comes from and what properties distinguish it.
Origin and characteristics
The plant was brought to Britain in the 19th century. However, its origin is in the Caucasus, Central Asia and Northern Iran. From there, the few-flowered leek was first brought to botanical gardens in the mid-19th century and then continued to spread itself. Today, one comes across the few-flowered leek mainly in green areas of cities, preferring locations near rivers or in deciduous forests.
The grass-like leaves of the perennial allium grow to about 20 to 30cm long and spring directly from the around, white bulb. This grows up to 1cm in size and lies approximately 3 to 4cm deep in the ground. It also forms daughter bulbs. During the flowering period from April to May, the plants are decorated with white flowers. This usually involves a single, bell-shaped flower growing from a bract. Few-flowered leek flowers are mostly sterile and thus not bee-friendly, as they do not produce pollen and nectar. Often there are also up to 20 green bulbs underground.
Few-flowered leek confusion
Extreme caution is required when collecting this wild leek. Eating some similar-looking plants could have far-reaching consequences, as many are poisonous. Therefore, it is important to recognise the few-flowered leek and be able to distinguish it from other plants.
For example, of autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale) and snowdrop (Galanthus), neither of which, however, smells of garlic. At the same time, care should be taken not to be deceived by the smell of garlic clinging to the hands after the collection of few-flowered leek has already begun.
The lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) can be easily distinguished by closely examining the leaves. Those of the lily of the valley do not arise from the bulb, but grow in pairs on the stem. Another similar looking plant is Scilla. However, this has only two rather thick leaves on its around stem and reaches a maximum growth height of 20cm.
Few-flowered leek can also be confused with wild garlic (Allium ursinum). Since this is also edible, there are no negative consequences to fear here.
What is the difference between wild garlic and few-flowered leek?
Both leeks (Allioideae) are characterised by a spicy flavour reminiscent of garlic. Despite a slightly bitter note, the few-flowered leek is the milder variant.
While the few-flowered leek sprouts already from February and can be collected, this is the case with the real wild garlic only from March. In addition, wild garlic has broader, oval leaves with a strong midrib.
The two plants can also be distinguished on the basis of the root system and the flowers. Few-flowered leek has around, white roots and a single, narrow flower. Wild garlic, on the other hand, produces several star-shaped flowers in a head-like flowerhead and has elongated roots.
Growing Allium paradoxum
If you want to cultivate the few-flowered leek yourself, you should urgently consider a few things. Since the plant is an invasive species, it is best grown in a separate pot and not directly in the garden. Ideally, this tub is located on the balcony or terrace, because the plant can spread uncontrollably in the garden already by falling brood bulbs.
Few-flowered leek prefers semi-shady locations with well-drained, humus-rich as well as nutrient-rich soil. To provide the plant with the best conditions in the pot as well, a pre-fertilised organic soil such as our Plantura Organic Tomato & Vegetable Compost is ideal. This ensures that the plants are supplied with all important nutrients. Also, choose a pot with a capacity of at least 5 litres and create a drainage layer at the bottom of the pot to ensure good water drainage. Gravel, sand or expanded clay is suitable for this.
- Perfect for tomatoes & other vegetables such as chillies, courgettes & more
- For strong & healthy plant growth as well as an abundant vegetable harvest
- Peat-free & organic soil: CO2-saving composition
The appropriate planting material can be purchased. However, since it is an invasive species, it is perfectly fine to dig up some wild plants after they have sprouted or flowered and plant them at home.
The bulbs are ideally planted in small groups of about 5 pieces about 3 to 4cm deep in the ground. Since they are not sensitive to frost, they can be planted in the fall and harvested already in the following spring.
The few-flowered leek plant does not require special care, you should only water it occasionally. This is especially important if you cultivate it under a roof in a container. Care should be taken to ensure that the soil never dries out completely. This requires daily watering in the heat. By the way, if you have chosen a nutrient-rich planting soil, additional fertilising is not necessary.
Repot the few-flowered leek should be only if you want to increase the stock or harvest the bulbs. This is because the invasive, vigorous species will again spread across the entire diameter of the pot.
Propagating few-flowered leek
The few-flowered leek forms sporadic seeds in addition to the brood bulbs, but usually the flowers are sterile. Therefore, they play only a minor role in the spread. Thus, propagation via bulbs is often the only option. In this way, the plant spreads very quickly in an area, but does not travel long distances on its own.
You can take advantage of this to selectively propagate the few-flowered leek. To do this, you need a few-flowered leek plant in bloom from April to May, because during this period it also bears its brood bulbs. Once this requirement has been met, proceed as follows:
- Separate bulbs from the plant
- Plant in small groups of about 5 pieces 3 – 4cm deep
- Cover with soil
- Water generously
Is few-flowered leek edible?
The leaves of the few-flowered leek are edible and can be harvested from February to April. To do this, cut the few-flowered leek leaves with a sharp knife and use them as fresh and quickly as possible due to their low shelf life. Thus, there are some parallels with the harvest of wild garlic in the harvest of few-flowered leek. In addition to the leaves, the flowers, seeds, brood bulbs and mother bulbs of Allium paradoxum are also edible. Since some of the garlicky flavour is lost when heated, use in cold cooking is recommended. The few-flowered leek is therefore ideal for making delicious pesto or herb butter.
Due to the allicin, vitamin C and essential oils it contains, few-flowered leeks are also said to have health-promoting properties. For example, the few-flowered leek is said to have positive effects on the immune system and digestion.
