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| Online Flora of the Maltese Islands by Stephen Mifsud |
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Allium commutatum (Maritime Wild Leek) |
Allium commutatum (AMARYLLIDACEAE.)
Images for this profile are taken from the Maltese Islands after year 2000.
Website launch: Oct-2002
Taxonomic update: Aug-2026
Code update: Jul-2026 |
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| Nomenclature and General Information |
Species name : |
Allium commutatumGuss.
Published in Enum. Pl. Inar. 339 (1854) |
Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.) |
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Plant Family : |
Amaryllidaceae Jaume St.-Hil (The Daffodil or Amaryllis Family)
28 species from the Amaryllidaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands. | English name(s) : | Maritime Wild Leek, Sea Garlic |
Maltese name(s) : |
Kurrat tax-xatt |
Status for Malta : |
Indigenous. Present on the Maltese islands before man |
Frequency : |
Very Common Common Frequent Scarce Rare Very rare Extinct |
Growth form : |
Germination type [info]: Monocotyledon
Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: Geophyte ( perennials bearing underground bulbs, tubers, rhizomes, stolons, etc. ) |
Legal Protection : |
Not legally protected till the last update of this website (22/Aug/2025) |
Red List (1989) : |
Not listed in the Red Data Book of the Maltese Islands |
Flowering Time : |
June – July |
Colour of Flowers: |
Pink or White |
Toxicity: |
Mildy toxic, can cause adverse conditions if consumed in large quantities |
Name Derivation : |
Allium: The classical Latin name for garlic. (Latin origin)
commutatum: meaning changed or altered but in taxonomy it is often used for a species that is quite variable and was previously included in another species and have been described as a new and different species. In other words it was previously included in another species. (Latin origin); 2. In this case this allusion can be referred to the closely related species - Allium ampeloprasum.
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Planting in rural areas : |
Can be planted in rural areas according to ERA Guidelines |
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Description, Habitat and Distribution | |
Botanical Description |
Bulbs up to 6 cm in diameter, subglobose; outer tunics membranous or coriaceous, enclosing large yellowish bulblets. Stem up to 180 cm, solid. Leaves 5-11, up to 50 x 5 cm, sheathing the lower 1/4-2/3 of the stem, canaliculate but not keeled, glabrous. Spathe 1-valved, with ovoid base c. 2 cm, abruptly contracted above into a 2-edged beak 16-30 cm, caducous. Perianth ovoid; segments 4 x 1.5 mm, whitish-pink or dull magenta with green or purple keel, the outer lanceolate, acute, strongly concave, the inner narrowly obovate, obtuse, with serrate margin, all covered externally with minute papillae (only visible under microscope). Stamens exserted; outer 3 filaments c. 5 mm, usually tricuspidate with the basal lamina c. 0.5 mm wide, or sometimes simple; inner with the base c. 1 mm wide, the base and the lateral cusps about as long as the central cusp. Capsule c. 4 mm. | |
Habitat in Europe |
Open habitats near the sea; ocassionally in abandoned fields
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Preferred habitat in Malta |
Shallow rocky coasts
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Chromosome number(s) |
2n=16, 24, 32 | |
Distributional range |
C. & E. Mediterranean region
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Distributional maps from various sources |
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Flora Europaea till 1993) |
Corse, Crete, Greece, Italy (mainland, excl. Sicily and Sardinia), ex-Jugoslavia, Sardinia, Sicily and/or Malta
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Euro+Med Checklist till 2024)
Country codes
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AE(G) Bl Co Cr Gr It Ju Sa Si Tu(A)
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| Links & Further literature
(1 papers) |
Google Web |
Google Images |
Google Scholar |
Research Gate |
Wikipedia |
JSTOR |
GBIF |
Med Checklist |
Cat. of Life |
EoL |
IPNI |
World Flora Online |
Plants of the World Online |
Vienna Virt. Herb. |
RBGE Herbarium |
KEW Herbarium |
MNHN |
Garden Database |
IUCN |
TROPICOS |
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A revision of Allium subsect. Allium (Amaryllidaceae) for the Maltese Islands |
Stephen Mifsud & Owen Mifsud (2018) |
Kindly Email if there are papers and publications about local
studies or information about this species to be included in the list above.
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Sales and Donations
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Sales of seeds of wild plant from Malta: Seeds of selected wild plant species may be available for academic studies, research purposes, or personal use. Please note that not all species can be supplied or exported. Availability is subject to seasonal seed production, stock levels, and applicable regulations, including Maltese legislation and CITES requirements where relevant. Protected and endemic species cannot be sold (at least without the relevant environmental permits).
How it works: First, submit a quotation request by completing the Online Quotation Form (link provided on the right side of this table). Once your request has been reviewed, you will receive confirmation regarding seed availability, export eligibility (where applicable), pricing, and any transport charges. Payments are accepted by Revolut, bank transfer (IBAN), or PayPal only; credit and debit card payments are not accepted.
Please note that local orders are currently not being accepted. Seek Maltese nurseries and NGOs for local orders.
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Online Quotation (Seeds)
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Atlas Flora Europaea
GBIF Distribution Map
WFO Distribution map
