Plants in Israel: Allium daninianum

Allium daninianum, Allium stamineum, Garlic,
Hebrew: שום האבקנים , Arabic: الثوم الدانيني

Scientific name:   Allium daninianum Brullo, Pavone & Salmeri
Synonym name:   Allium stamineum Boiss.
Common name:   Garlic
Hebrew name:   שום האבקנים
Arabic name:   الثوم الدانيني
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:   Herbaceous stem; 10-35cm tall
Leaves:   Alternate, rosette, entire, smooth
Inflorescence:   Umbel
Flowers:   Green, pink, purple
Flowering Period:   March, April, May
Habitat:   Batha, Phrygana, Shrub-steppes
Distribution:   Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Semi-steppe shrublands, Shrub-steppes, Deserts and extreme deserts, Montane vegetation of Mt. Hermon
Chorotype:   Med – Irano-Turanian
Summer shedding:   Ephemeral


Derivation of the botanical name:

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

daninianum, dedicated to Avinoam Danin, botanist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in recognition of the organization of the 2nd OPTIMA expedition in Israel (19.3-10.4.1969).
The Hebrew word: שום, shum, Akkadian: sumu; Aramaic: Thomas; שום, אכדית: sumu; ארמית: תומא

  • The standard author abbreviation Brullo is used to indicate Salvatore Brullo, a professor of botany at the university of Catania, Italy.
  • The standard author abbreviation Pavone is used to indicate Pietro Pavone, an Italian botanist, at the university of Catania, Italy.
  • The standard author abbreviation Salmeri is used to indicate Cristina Salmeri, an Italian botanist, at the university of Catania, Italy.
  • The standard author abbreviation Boiss. is used to indicate Pierre Edmond Boissier (1810 – 1885), a Swiss botanist, explorer and mathematician.

Some Allium populations of Israel, hitherto referred to as Allium stamineum, clearly differ in several morphological characters from typical Allium stamineum, and led to the conclusion that this taxon is a new species. Allium daninianum is widespread in Israel and also in other areas of the Middle East.