Allium lojaconoi

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Maltese dwarf garlic
"Allium lojaconoi" found at the Dingli Cliffs in Malta
Allium lojaconoi found at the Dingli Cliffs in Malta
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Amaryllidaceae
Subfamily: Allioideae
Genus: Allium
Subgenus: A. subg. Allium
Species:
A. lojaconoi
Binomial name
Allium lojaconoi

Allium lojaconoi, common name Maltese dwarf garlic, is a species of wild garlic endemic to the Republic of Malta in the Mediterranean. The species was first described in 1982 by Salvatore Brullo, E. Lanfranco and Pietro Pavone. It is closely related to A. parciflorum, from Sardinia and Corsica.[1][2]

Description[edit]

Allium lojaconoi is a perennial bulb plant. It is extremely delicate and only 5 to 10 centimeters high. The flowering time is summer. The inflorescence is a loose capitulum with four to twelve stalked flowers. The flowers are brown-purple to pink in colour, with a central dark stripe on each petal.[3] The plant has 16 chromosomes (2n).[4]

Occurrence[edit]

Allium lojaconoi usually grows on rocky ground near the coast, on all three of the major islands of the country (Malta, Gozo and Comino).[5] The species is reported as rare.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Salvatore Brullo, E. Lanfranco, Pietro Pavone. 1982. Webbia 35(2): 296.
  2. ^ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  3. ^ Weber, Hans Christian (2006). Flora of the Maltese Islands : a field guide. Bernd Kendzior. Weikersheim: Margraf. ISBN 3-8236-1478-9. OCLC 71355428.
  4. ^ "Tropicos | Name - Allium lojaconoi Brullo, Lanfr. & Pavone". legacy.tropicos.org. Retrieved 2021-03-15.
  5. ^ IUCN Red Lest of Threatened Species, Allium lojaconoi'