dubious

This pages lists names associated with the genus Allium that are circumspect or dubious for one reason or another. If you can't find a particular allium name in the Allium Species Master List or the Synonyms List, there is a possibility it can be found in the listing below. Because the genus Allium is very large and has a huge distribution throughout the northern hemisphere, considerable taxonomic confusion exists. A few reasons for confused species naming include the following:

Old, obscure, incomplete herbarium data.
Early taxonomy applied to a large and difficult genus.
Misspellings and misapplied names.
Misidentification of cultivated plants.
Invented nursery names passed off as legitimate.

Dubious Allium names & habitually misidentified alliums	Author	Pub. Date	Possible Synonyms	Comments
tanguticum 'Blue Skies'	n/a	n/a	= Allium senescens var. montanum	This imposter has been going around for years... since the 1970s. The true A. tanguticum, which is not in cultivation, is a slender bulbous species with red-purple flowers. The imposter is a pallid, pinkish-mauve form of the ubiquetous European onion; A. senescens var. montanum. Despite the cultivar name 'Blue Skies', there is nothing blue about the flowers at all! Read more about this imposter.
tanguticum 'Summer Beauty'	n/a	n/a	= Allium senescens var. montanum	This imposter has been going around for years, introduced more recently than 'Blue Skies'. The true A. tanguticum, which is not in cultivation, is a slender bulbous species with red-purple flowers. The imposter is a pallid, pinkish-mauve form of the ubiquetous European onion; A. senescens var. montanum. Read more about this imposter.

Questions or comments on this page? Contact Mark McDonough at antennaria@aol.com.

Dubious Allium Names & Misnomers

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