Species name :

Allium sphaerocephalon subsp. sphaerocephalonL.
Published in Pl. Nov. Ratisbon. (Konigl. Baier. Bot. Ges.) 2: 256 (1828)

Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.)

Porrum sphaerocephaluon (L.) Rchb.

Full list of synonyms : [Euro+Med] [WFO] [IPNI] [POWO] [Catalogue of Life] [Worldplants.de]

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) :

Round-Headed Leek, Ball-headed Onion

Maltese name(s) :

Tewm kaħlani, Tewm vjola

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) :

Threatened status for the Maltese Islands and has been listed in the Red Data Book (1st ed.)

Flowering Time :

June – August

Colour of Flowers:

Red or Violet

Toxicity:

Mildy toxic, can cause adverse conditions if consumed in large quantities

Name Derivation :

Allium: The classical Latin name for garlic. (Latin origin)

sphaerocephalon subsp. sphaerocephalon: ()

Planting in rural areas :

Can be planted in rural areas according to ERA Guidelines

Remarks :

The species Allium amethystinum Tausch which is also reported from same habitat and localities is likely a misidentification for Allium sphaerocephalon. Further investigation is required to verify this or the improbable possibility of having both. The populations flowering in July with small wine-red inflorecences, growing in arid exposed garigue most in the north and northwest of Malta have been also ascribed to Allium amethystinum but from a careful inspection of some specimens, they were identified by Stephen Mifsud as Allium sphaerocephalon subsp. sphaerocephalon. Both species are morphologically similar. The subspecies arvense which is larger, have white to green flowers and mostly occurs on the south and west coast of Gozo was reported for the first time by Michael Briffa in the late nineties. The plants growing in Malta appear to be particularly smaller and further investigation may reveal interesting findings.