Wild garlic, Bear’s Garlic, Ramsons, Ramps
Allium ursinum

Family: Amaryllidaceae

What it is like

An onion family plant. It is a plant which keeps growing from year to year. It grows 30-40 cm high. Plants have a garlic like smell. The bulbs are narrow, white and bottle shaped. There are 2 or 3 leaves on long, white stalks from the base. The bulbs divide to produce a clump. The leaves are bright-green and broadly oval. They taper to the tip and have parallel veins. The flowers are on 2 to 3 angled stems. The flowers are white and star like. The heads can be 6 cm across.

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 temperate plant. It grows in woods throughout Europe in moist soils especially alkaline soils. The can grow in low light. It is best in humus-rich, moist, well-drained soil.

Countries/locations it is found in

Armenia, Australia, Austria, Balkans, Belarus, Bosnia, Britain, Bulgaria, Caucasus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Europe, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Mediterranean, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Scandinavia, Sicily, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Türkiye

How it is used for food

The leaves and bulbs are finely sliced and added to salads. The leaves are used for sarma in Turkey. They are rolled around a filling of rice or minced meat. They are also used in soups and sauces. They are used in pickles. The flowers can be eaten raw or used as a garnish in salads. The young green bulbils are used as a caper substitute. CAUTION: They should not be eaten in large amounts.

It is foraged and eaten in restaurants in Sweden.

Edible parts

Flowers, leaves, root, bulb

How it is grown

They can be grown from seed or by dividing clumps. Seed needs to be fresh. Seed germinate best at 6°C. Seed should be soaked overnight and planted 1 cm deep.

Its other names

Local names

Agghiu ursinum Aglio selvatico, Barenlauch, Broad-leaved garlic, Buckrams, čemaž, Cesnek medvedf, Cheremsha, Cipudda di serpi, Daslook, De zo, Div chesan, Div luk, Ghandzili, Gipsy onion, Laksi, Leurda, Ramsay, Ramslauk, Remza, Shumski luk, Wood garlic

Synonyms

Several