Crow Garlic?

[Tiggrx]

When out walking yesterday in south Bucks I found a lot of Crow Garlic/Wild Onion (Allium vineale). I found two sorts.

Firstly the var. compactum, with heads of numerous small bulbils and no flowers


and secondly the var. vineale with heads of fewer larger (c. 8x5mm) bulbils with a few flowers.


However, in one field I found a third Allium with heads of much fewer larger bulbils (c. 11x8mm) and no flowers. It was growing amongst both other varieties and when keyed out seems to be Allium vineale - but does it come in a form like this?



The leaves were all dead but seem to have been tubular. It was growing in dry grassland. There were some allotments close by so they may have been the source.

Help please

Thanks
Aaron

[Dorts]

Hi Tiggrx
The third one is a viviparous form, Where the bulbils start to grow on the bud. Happens with a number of species of plants, particularly Alliums.

Crow Garlic sometimes produces pink flowers, however, if they are white, have a closer look as it could be Field Garlic.
Dorts.

[Tiggrx]

Originally Posted by Dorts

Hi Tiggrx
The third one is a viviparous form, Where the bulbils start to grow on the bud. Happens with a number of species of plants, particularly Alliums.

Crow Garlic sometimes produces pink flowers, however, if they are white, have a closer look as it could be Field Garlic.
Dorts.

Hi Dorts,

it wasn't so much the vivipary that puzzled me as the form of the plant.

I did wonder whether some of the flowering one were Field Garlic as there are old records from that area, but unfortunately none were

[Dorts]

Tiggrx
I notice one of the features of A. vineale is that the ends of the bulbils tend to be hooked, as is the case with all three of your plants.
Whereas in all the others of this group, the bulbils have straight ends.
Just a thought.
Dorts.