Nomenclature

Species name:

Nothoscordum borbonicum   (Aiton) Nicholson

Author(s):

Karl Sigismund Kunth;
   Germany, 1788-1850

Synonyms:

Nothoscordum fragrans, Nothoscordum inodorum, Nothoscordum nidulans, Allium inodorum, Allium fragrans

Common names:

Fragrant False Garlic, Sweet Garlic, Gowie's Curse, Gowie's Weed

Maltese names:

Tewm tal-Qsari

Plant Family:

Alliaceae   (Onion Family)

Status:

Naturalized Alien

Name Derivation:

Nothoscordum = From the greek 'nothos' = false and 'scordum' = garlic, hence meaning false garlic because although many morphological parts are alike garlic, they lack the pungent flavour or odour of garlic. (Greek origin)
borbonicum = "Of or from the island Reunion in the Indian Ocean which formerly was called Bourbon. Further info: [1] [2]". (Latin origin)

Remarks:

This species is also found as Nothoscordum inodorum (a main synonym) in several works and publications. It is believed that Nothoscordum burbonicum is actually a natural hybrid of two other Nothoscordum species. -

Specifications & Description

Life Cycle:

Perennial

Habitat:

Cultivated and naturalised. Occurs in the wild as a garden escape and so it is found in fertile soil in urban areas such as near public gardens. Much rarer in open land. Tolerates full shade.

Frequency:

Undetermined

Localities in Malta:

Hastings Garden (Valletta), San Anton, Qormi.

Plant Height:

20-30cm.

Flowering Period:

Apr - Jun

Poison:

Data not available

A delicate plant growing from underground bulbs that have a semi-transparent, silvery-cream tunic and oval shape. Once established, the bulbs are difficult to eridicate and as a consequence they tend up to become a weed. In winter opposite rows of linear leaves with blunt tips are produced from the bulbs. These measure between 20-30cm long by x 5-15mm wide and assume an arching down position. In Spring, a set much smaller (approx. 8cm long) and erect leaves are often produced while the older leaves becomes yellow and die.

During the hotter period of Spring, a scape of about 20-30cm of height is produced. The spathe has a small cylindrical structure which give rise to few, lax, white flowers not more than 20 in number. One important characteristic for which this plant is famous for is the highly fragrant smell that the flowers gives off. They have green pedicels of unequal length and they open gradually one after the other so as it might take 10-15 days until all flowers are blossomed.

The corolla is made up of 6 identical, white tepals (perianth segments). The outer side of the tepals is often flushed with a purple-red stripe along their midrib. The corolla can be described to have a bowl-shape structure, where it's neither compact as a campanulate form (bell-shape) nor open as a stellate form (star-shape); but something in between.

Inside are 6 stamens placed centrally around a superior ovary and having more or less the same length of the tepals (hence 10-14mm). Their filaments have a widening base while the anthers are yolk yellow. Ovary is spherical, green, shiny and with a short, white style. Stigma also white and slightly swollen.

The fruit is a small, oval capsule around 6-7mm long which when ripe it turns light brown and splits open into 3 locules each with two longitudinal rows of seeds. Seeds are tooth-shaped, black and about 2mm long.

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