crow garlic

Allium vineale
Alliaceae

New leaves grow from bulbs in October and may survive through a mild winter
Green tufts poking through snow mid-February
Leaves gain height quickly in spring
Fruiting plants at left front
Flowers and bulbils appear after leaves are gone in mid-July
Sometimes only bulbils are produced
Bulbils fall off to form new plants
New plants sprouting from still attached bulbils
A really bad hair day in the plant world

The crow garlic is native to Europe, northwestern Africa, and the Middle East.  It was introduced to North America in colonial times.  Tufts of slender tubular leaves can be seen growing in the understory as early as January throughout Salter Grove giving way to flowering stalks by May.  Seeds are produced from the flowers at the tip of the flowering stalk.  But more often than not, new plants are produced from the bulbils that are mixed in with the flowers.

While the chive-like leaves and bulbs are enjoyed by people who forage wild plants for food preparations, it is considered a pestilential invasive weed by ranchers and grain farmers alike.  When cattle graze in fields containing crow garlic their beef and dairy products take on a garlicky flavor.  The same goes for grain that is harvested along with the bulbils produced.