Mark BROWN <brown.mark@wanadoo.fr> wrote: > Hello, > I have a query that perhaps the Allium experts here can help on? > Last autumn I was in the Peloponese and collected in full flower a > soft yellow/green flowered Allium. > It was a bit like A.ericetorum. > It, like A. callimischon, produces flower stalks with buds much > earlier on in the year that stay closed until late september early > october. > Could any one help in identifying it please? > Kind regards, > Mark Hi Mark, your Allium sounds interesting, do you have a photo of it? In the past 20 years there's been dozens of new species named in Greece (including some in Crete and Aegean Islands). I found one paper that reported there are 85 species in Greece. Many of these species seem closely allied to the Allium cupani and A. callimischon group, that produce the early deciduous leaves leaving bare stems and inconspicuous buds that pop into bloom in late summer to fall, as you described for A. callimischon; I think the taxonomists in the region might be splitting hairs of slicing their onions too thinly ;-) You can google "allium species greece" (without quotes) and get lots of links to separately published species, some are available as free PDFs with good descriptions and line drawings or a photo or two, most are unfortunately for purchase, so it's hard to know more about many of these species other than a name. There's a surprising number of fall bloomers from the region, some are endemic while others range into neighboring areas like Turkey and Cyprus. Of those Grecian Allium species that I think are late blooming include: apolloniensis, aegilicum, ritsii, callimischon, chamaespathum, tardans, dilitatum, eivissanum, pentadactyli, chalkii, rhodiacum, platakisii, cupani ssp. hirtovaginatum, brussalisii (2008), archeotrichon, etc. I can't tell you which of these might have yellow flowers. Another new one, Allium apergii (described 2009), has yellow to greenish yellow flowers, blooms July-August. There are other new to new-ish names, I don't know much about them, nor about when they flower, such as A. dirphianum, phitosianum, rausii, samothracicum (2000, blooms June-July), brulloi, runemarkii, lagarophylum, and more. So, I can't really narrow down your search for an ID very much, other than offering this context. On the Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum, there have been photos of late-summer or autumn blooming alliums from the Aegean region, here are some links: Links to photos of two fall bloomers, A. tardans & A. chamaespathum (click on thumbnails to enlarge) http://srgc.org.uk/forum/index.php/… Allium autumnale from Cyprus (click on thumbnail to enlarge) http://srgc.org.uk/forum/index.php/… Allium tardiflorum (Israel, thought to be related to A. tardans) (click on thumbnail to enlarge) http://srgc.org.uk/forum/index.php/… Unknown (yellowish) autumn flowering Allium from S Turkey? http://srgc.org.uk/forum/index.php/… Mark McDonough The Onion Man :-) USDA Zone 5 Massachusetts, USA (near the New Hampshire border)