Wild garlic
Tulbaghia alliacea

Family: Amaryllidaceae

What it is like

An onion family plant. It is a herb and forms clumps. It has a swollen rhizome up to 10 cm long and keeps growing from year to year. It grows up to 45 cm tall. The leaves are like straps. They form a ring at the base. They are 15-20 cm long and 1 cm wide. The flowers are in groups of 10-20. The flowers are olive green. They have an orange centre. The fruit is a capsule. it is 8 mm long. The seeds are triangle shaped and flat. They are black.

There are 22 Tulbaghia species. They are tropical from southern Africa. Also put in the families Alliaceae and Liliaceae.

Where it is found

It is a tropical and subtropical plant. It can grow in most soils.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Australia, Botswana, East Africa, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa (country/location of origin), Southern Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The leaves and stems and cooked and eaten. They are also finely chopped and seasoned with salt and used as a relish. The young leave are added to soups, stews and pickles. The bulbs are cooked and eaten. The flowers are eaten.

It is a minor vegetable used as a relish.

Edible parts

Leaves, stems, flowers, vegetable

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Inisili, Isikhwa, Isikwa, Moelela, Negoje, Sikwa, Wilde knoflook

Synonyms

Tulbaghia ludwigiana sensu Ogle & Grivetti;