Family |
Amaryllidaceae
Allium sannineum
Gomb.
Endemic to Lebanon
Allium sannineum Gombault
(Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, Mouterde, vol. 1, p. 272, pl. LXXXV nº 4)
Description
Bulb – small (≈ 1 cm in diameter), ovoid, surrounded by regularly reticulate, fibrous tunics; often produces bulbils.
Stem – slender and flexuous, up to 10–20 cm tall; becomes distinctly striate when dried.
Leaves – filiform, fistulous and striate, equalling or slightly exceeding the stem length.
Spathe – membranous, ovate, bilobed, briefly acuminate and shorter than the umbel.
Inflorescence – umbel spherical, dense, 1–2 cm across; pedicels very short.
Perianth – cylindric‑campanulate, blue‑violet; tepals c. 5 mm long, elliptic, obtuse to sub‑acute, scabrid along the keel.
Stamens & Style – filaments slightly exserted; the anther‑bearing median tooth is as long as the lateral teeth; style protrudes beyond the stamens.
Flowering and habitat
Flowering period – June to August.
Distribution
Local distribution – confined to Lebanon between Jabal Kneissé and the foot of Jabal Sannine, and Mount Hermon
Native range – endemic to Lebanon.