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Meadow Garlic

Allium canadense

Other common name(s):

Wild Garlic, Wild Onion

Family:

Amaryllidaceae (Daffodil Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Central Great Plains, Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Broken Red Plains, Limestone Plains, Red Prairie
Carbonate Cross Timbers, Eastern Cross Timbers, Grand Prairie, Limestone Cut Plain, Western Cross Timbers
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, Northern Post Oak Savanna, Northern Prairie Outliers, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Balcones Canyonlands, Edwards Plateau Woodland, Llano Uplift, Semiarid Edwards Plateau
Coastal Sand Plain, Floodplains and Low Terraces4, Laguna Madre Barrier Island and Coastal Marshes, Lower Rio Grande Alluvial Floodplain, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Mid-Coast Barrier Islands and Coastal Marshes, Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Southern Subhumid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Texas-Louisiana Coastal Marshes
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Floodplains and Low Terraces3, Pleistocene Fluvial Terraces, Red River Bottomlands, Southern Tertiary Uplands, Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Herbaceous

Height

.25
to
1
ft.

Spread

.25
to
1
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Rich, Well Drained, Moist, Neutral

Light Requirement

Sun, Part Shade

Water Requirement

Medium

Native Habitat

Grassland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

White

Bloom Season

Spring, Summer

Seasonal Interest

Seeds, Forage, Nectar, Pollen

Wildlife Benefit

Butterflies, Birds, Nectar Insects, Bees

Maintenance

This is a very versatile plant, able to adapt to all but very wet conditions. It will grow in sun or shade, although it may not flower in deep shade. If it does not flower in deep shade, it will still form aerial bulblets. Can spread profusely in warmer climates. Make sure soil is well-drained, plants will rot in standing water. Wild garlic makes a good woodland ground cover in the Texas Blackland Prairie. Generally free of pests and disease, although there can be problems with slugs. Propagation: Seed, Root Division.

Comments

Blooms March-July. Plant has strong, onion-like odor. It has grass-like basal leaves and an 8-12 in. flowering stalk growing from a bulb. Star-shaped flowers form a dome-like cluster. Native habitat is open woods and prairies, Bulbs and leaves may be eaten by wild turkeys. Rabbits and deer tend to avoid eating any Allium species. The Onion Bee (Heriades carinatum), mason bees, halictid bees, plasterer bees, masked bees, syrphid flies, bee flies, and wasp use the nectar and the pollen of the flowers.

References

1) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ALCA3, 2) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=42635#null, 3) http://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Allium%20canadense.png, 4) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Allium+canadense&formsubmit=Search+Terms, 5) https://www.prairiemoon.com/allium-canadense-wild-garlic-prairie-moon-nursery.html, 6) https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/wild_garlicx.htm, 7) Wasowski and Wasowski, 1991, Native Texas Plants, Landscaping Region by Region, pg 110,177

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State Office Phone: 830.997.9272

State Office Address:
Native Plant Society of Texas
PO Box 3017
Fredericksburg, TX 78624

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