blue-of-the-heavens Лук голубой 棱叶薤 leng ye xie | |
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1847 illustration [1] | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Order: | Asparagales |
Family: | Amaryllidaceae |
Subfamily: | Allioideae |
Genus: | Allium |
Subgenus: | A. subg. Allium |
Species: | A. caeruleum
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Binomial name | |
Allium caeruleum | |
Synonyms [2] | |
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Allium caeruleum (blue globe onion, blue ornamental onion, blue-of-the-heavens, blue-flowered garlic; syn. Allium azureum Ledeb.) is an ornamental bulbous plant of the onion genus, native to Central Asia ( Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Siberia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Xinjiang). [3] [4] [5] In these regions, it is found on dry slopes, plains, and steppes. [6]
This plant is cited in the Flore des Serres et des Jardins de l'Europe puis L'illustration horticole by Charles Antoine Lemaire. It grows to 80 cm (31"), producing strap-shaped leaves and small globes ( umbels) of blue flowers in early summer. The one-inch wide globular flower heads attract butterflies. [7] The plant has been granted the British Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit (1993). [8]
A. caeruleum thrives in well-drained soil in full to partial sun. [9] It is deer-resistant and suitable for USDA hardiness zones 4–8. [6]