In this view of A.
przewalskianum we get a good idea about
how the plant grows. The trademark orange bulb bases are
unmistakable. They grow tightly clustered together, attached to
short rhizomes. The foliage is narrow and fine, sheathing the
lower 1/4 - 1/5 of the stems, gracefully splaying outwards in
pleasant disposition to the flowers.
|
Here we see a well grown clump of Allium przewalskianum in the garden
of Eugeniy Tarasov of Moscow, Russia. The plant originated from China,
N.W.Sichuan, found in rocky places in the Chola Shan Mts. at an altitude of
about 4100 m. As can be seen, this is a refined alpine species that seems
willing to grow and is quite showy in the garden. Here in Massachussetts,
northeastern USA, I can lose the plant if it's planted in too wet a spot. The
tightly clustered bulbs, attached to short rhizomes, are prone to trapping
moisture and rotting unless very good drainage is provided around it's
base. The plant is easily raised from seed, flowering in the second year.
Mr. Tarasov's web site can be found at the following URL:
http://home.onego.ru/~otsoppe/coll5/coll503.htm
|
In this composite view of 4 separate Allium species, we see
the following
from left to right, A. schoenoprasum var. alvarense 'Alvaret Snow'
(a white form of a rare chive variety from Sweden),
A. przewalskianum, A. heldriechii (from Greece), and A.
amplectans
(from western USA). Allium przewalskianum
has fully spherical
bloom heads that seem large for the size of the plant. |
