About Allium siculum Ucria
This species, Allium siculum Ucria, produces showy clusters of gracefully drooping bell-shaped blossoms from May to early June. These clusters sit atop a tall green stem that reaches up to 1.2 meters in height. Each individual blossom is suspended on a long drooping pedicel; the florets are cream-colored with a maroon streak running down each petal, have white flared tips, and are tinted green at the base. After the blossoms finish blooming, decorative, erect seed pods develop by late summer. The plant’s blue-gray foliage is triangular in cross-section, and the ascending leaves twist strongly along their entire length. When the plant is cut, a strong, penetrating skunky odor is released. Allium siculum is native to Turkey, Iran, Crimea, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, southern France (including Corsica), and Italy (specifically Basilicata, Abruzzo, Umbria, Toscana, Sicily, and Sardinia). It naturally grows in damp, shady woods. Allium siculum may be toxic to cats and dogs. This type of toxicity in other Allium species has been linked to organosulphur compounds that induce haemolysis, which leads to haemolytic anaemia.
