Allium tricoccum
ramps
Family AmaryllidaceaeAlso called wild leek, wood leek, ramson
About
Allium tricoccum, ramps or wild leek, is an eastern North American woodland onion prized as an early spring vegetable with a strong garlic-onion flavour.
Care at a glance
- Pet safety
- Allium species are toxic to cats and dogs; eating large amounts can cause hemolytic anemia, and cats are most sensitive. General guidance for the genus
- People
- Not recorded.
- Soil
- Rich, moist woodland soil (var. burdickii tolerates drier upland woods).
- Mature size
- Leaves 20–30 cm long; flower stalk 10–40 cm.
“General guidance for the genus” marks advice sourced for the genus as a whole rather than this species.
Field notes
Morphology
Clusters of 2–6 ovoid-conical white bulbs 2–6 cm long produce broad, flat, smooth light-green leaves 20–30 cm long, often purple-tinted at the base. One flowering stalk 10–40 cm tall per cluster bears an umbel, usually after the leaves have died back.
Distribution & habitat
Eastern Canada and the eastern United States. Var. tricoccum grows in rich, moist woods, streamside bluffs and slopes; var. burdickii in drier upland woods.
Cultivation notes
Both the white lower stalks and the leaves are eaten, fried with potatoes, scrambled with eggs, pickled or used in soups in place of onion and garlic. Popular in central Appalachia and increasingly in restaurants.
History & etymology
Named by William Aiton in 1789 after its 1770 introduction to Britain; tricoccum refers to its three seeds. A Miami–Illinois name for the plant gave Chicago its name.
Conservation
Threatened in Quebec, where it is legally protected and possession is restricted.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- Canada, United States
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- Not recorded
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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