Allium cristophii
Trautv.
Star of Persia
(c) Birgit Doesborg, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
(c) Benoît Segerer, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Benoît Segerer
(c) H. Zell, some rights reserved (CC BY)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Flowers, Leaves, Root, Bulb
The bulbs are eaten raw or cooked. The leaves are eaten raw or cooked. The flowers are used raw or to flavour salads.
Where to Find It
It is a temperate plant. It grows naturally on gravely slopes in Iran and Russia.
Australia, Iran, Middle East, Russia,
How to Identify
An onion family plant. It is a bulb plant. It grows to 20 cm high and 12 cm across.
How to Grow
Plants can be grown from seed or by division of clumps. Bulbs should be planted fairly deeply.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Allium cristophii, the Persian onion or star of Persia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae, native to Iran, Turkey, and Turkmenistan, though grown as an ornamental bulbous plant in many parts of the world. It may be sold under the synonym of Allium albopilosum. Star of Persia grows to 50 cm (20 in) and is cultivated in gardens for its large showy umbels of silvery pink star-shaped flowers, 20–25 cm (7.9–9.8 in) in diameter, which appear in early summer. The flowers are followed by attractive fruiting clusters. The plant has received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. A. cristophii performs best in sun to part shade. It is toxic to cats and dogs. It prefers sandy, gritty soil with good drainage, and is best suited to USDA hardiness zones 5–8.
Notes
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.
Names & Synonyms
References (2)
- Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/ (As Allium bodeanum)
- Trudy Imp. S.-Peterburgsk. Bot. Sada 3(2):238. 1875 (As Allium bodeanum)
