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Snowdrop Onion

Allium galanthum

Snowdrop Onion
Photo: Flora of central Asia Flora of Tien Shan, CC BY-SA 4.0

Allium galanthum, the snowdrop onion, is a bulbous geophyte from dry steppe and mountain slopes of Central Asia, Siberia and Mongolia, grown for its spherical clusters of white flowers. It is a hardy species that needs full sun and very well drained soil, and it is seldom grown as a houseplant.

Family
Amaryllidaceae (Daffodil & onion family)
Grows as
Bulb
Light
Full sun
Water
Water sparingly during the growing season and keep it dry after the foliage dies back in summer.
Soil
Gritty, very well drained soil or a sandy loam with some grit.
Temperature
Hardy to around -25 °C; tolerates hot, dry summers.
How easy
Easy
Safety
Not known to be toxic
Edible
Yes, some parts
Native range
SW. Siberia to C. Asia and Mongolia
Climate
temperate

About

Allium galanthum is an Asian species of onion in the amaryllis family, commonly called the snowdrop onion. It is native to Xinjiang, Mongolia, Altay Krai, and Kazakhstan. It grows at elevations of 500–1,500 m (1,600–4,900 ft).

Allium galanthum forms a cluster of bulbs, each up to 3 cm (1.2 in) in diameter. Scapes are up to 60 cm (24 in) tall. Leaves are tubular, about half as long as the scapes. Umbels are spherical with a large number of white flowers.

Other Allium plants

South Idaho onion · Abrams' allium · Allium aciphyllum · Tapertip onion · Allium aeginiense · Allium aflatunense · Allium agrigentinum · Allium alabasicum · Allium albotunicatum · Allium alibile · Altai Onion · Allium altissimum

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Allium galanthum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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