Three-cornered Garlic - Allium triquetrum

Short to medium tufted plant. Leaves 2 or 3, floppy, triangular in section like the scape, mostly basal. Spathe 2 valved, equalling the umbel. Flowers white, bell shaped, 10 to 18 mm long, drooping in a one sided umbel, the pointed tepals with a green midvein on the back.

Damp and shaded habitats, woods, scrub, steam banks and hedgerows.

April to June.

The seeds of Three-cornered Garlic are spread naturally by ants. It was established initially in Guernsey in 1849 and is now naturalised and increasingly abundant and widespread in milder areas of the UK, especially in the south and west, with scattered, sometimes short-lived, populations elsewhere.

It has a westerly distribution being quite common in Devon and Cornwall, but scattered elsewhere.

Rare in our area, the Sapcote record of 10th May 2007 was the first record for Leicestershire and Rutland (VC55).

Three-cornered Garlic can be a threat to native flora as it forms monocultures that smother other plants. It is listed under Schedule 9 to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 with respect to England, Wales and Scotland. As such it is an offence to plant or otherwise cause this species to grow in the wild. For details of legislation see here.