This selection of the circumpolar species is
named for a region in Siberia, presumably where it
was originally collected. Much more upright growing than regular forms of
the species, the broad
leaves are held upright on long petioles. Flower stems reach
24", often reclining as shown here,
perhaps in search of better light. The shaggy flower ball of
greenish white blooms are fairly
typical for the species, but here the base of the pedicels is red,
creating a dark accent to the
center of each flower head. The leaves, which do a good imitation of
lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria),
remain green right into autumn, as opposed to other forms where the leaves
dry off and go
dormant in late summer, leaving fat green growth buds at the surface of
the soil. This selection
is available from Odyssey Bulbs, http://odysseybulbs.com/.

A
top view of the inflorescence, showing the red center.
 Below
is a view of a large established clump of Allium victorialis I grew
from seed years ago.
By comparison with the longer, narrower leaves on the cultivar, on this
typical form the
leaves are shorter and more broadly elliptical, making a beautiful clump
in the early
summer garden, in a moist shaded location. Later in the summer, when
the plant
retreats to fat "noses" or leaf buds at the soil's surface, the
drying leaves and stems are
unsightly and need cleanup. The cultivar 'Kemerovo' is much tidier
in this respect. 
|