Israel flowers: Oriental garlic

Allium orientale, Allium nigrum, Oriental garlic,
Hebrew: שום מזרחי, Arabic: بصيلة , ثوم الشرق

Scientific name:   Allium orientale Boiss.
Scientific name:   Allium nigrum subsp. cyrilli (Ten.) Fiori
Common name:   Oriental Garlic
Hebrew name:   שום מזרחי
Arabic name:   بصيلة , ثوم الشرق
Family:   Amaryllidaceae, נרקיסיים
Subfamily:   Allioideae (formerly treated as a separate family, Alliaceae)
Tribe:   Allieae (comprises a single genus, Allium)
Genus:   Allium, שום


Life form:   Geophyte
Stems:   cylindrical 0.4-0.6 cm; 10-40 cm high
Leaves:   Alternate, rosette, leaves about as long as stem or longer, linear to lorate, not more than 20mm wide
Inflorescence:   Umbel 3-5cm in diameter, hemipherical, many-flowered; pedicels 1-2.5cm
Flowers:   Perfectly white to pale rose flowers, fragrant, filaments 4-5mm; anthers yellowish
Fruits / pods:   Capsule globose; 5-6×5-6mm
Flowering Period:   February, March, April
Habitat:   Batha, Phrygana
Distribution:   Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Semi-steppe shrublands, Shrub-steppes, Deserts and extreme deserts
Chorotype:   Mediterranean
Summer shedding:   Ephemeral


Derivation of the botanical name:

Allium, onion, chive and garlic. From the classical Latin name for garlic.

orientale, “eastern, oriental”; of the East.
The Hebrew word: שום, shum, Akkadian: sumu; Aramaic: Thomas; שום, אכדית: sumu; ארמית: תומא

  • The standard author abbreviation Boiss. is used to indicate Pierre Edmond Boissier (1810 – 1885), a Swiss botanist, explorer and mathematician.