Mouse garlic
Allium angulosum

Family: Amaryllidaceae

What it is like

An onion family plant. It is a bulb. The plants grow to 45 cm high. The bulbs are slender and long. They are clustered on an underground stem or rhizome. The leaves are up to 5 mm wide. They have a blunt tip and a sharp keel underneath. The flowers are cup-shaped and white or red in half round heads.

There are about 300-700 Allium species. Most species of Allium are edible (Flora of China). All alliums are edible but they may not all be worth eating! They have also been put in the family Alliaceae.

Where it is found

It is a cool temperate plant. It can tolerate frost. It can grow on a range of well-drained soils. It needs to be in a sunny position. It is best in moist soil. It grows naturally from Central Europe to Eastern Asia and Siberia in damp meadows near rivers.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia, Cape Verde, Central Asia, Europe, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Russia, Siberia, Slovenia

How it is used for food

The bulbs are eaten raw or cooked. They are also salted for later use. The leaves are eaten raw or cooked. The flowers are used raw or to flavour salads.

It is cultivated as a vegetable in Siberia.

Edible parts

Flowers, leaves, root, bulb

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seed or by division of clumps. Bulbs should be planted fairly deeply.

Its other names

Local names

Mischei-tschesnok, Robati luk, Siberian garlic

Synonyms

Allium acutangulum Schrad.; Allium angulare Pall.; Allium angulatum Pall.; Many