Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Nothoscordum borbonicum

Flowers. Photographer John Tann, Como, Sydney

Seed cases. Photographer John Tann, Como, Sydney

Plant. Photographer Mark Hyde, Zimbabwe

Common name

Onion weed, False onion weed

Family

Alliaceae

Where found

Weed in pastures, lawns, gardens, roadsides, disturbed sites, and wetlands. Mainly in the Sydney area. Occasionally elsewhere.

Notes

Introduced perennial herb, arising annually from a bulb, to 1.05 m tall. Flower stalk cylindrical. Leaves with a faint onion smell, basal, 15-60 cm long, 2-18 mm wide, strap-like, with 17–20 longitudinal veins, with a papery sheath at the base. Flowers fragrant. Flowers 10-15 mm long, with a short tube and 6 'petals' each 8-15 mm long, white, with pale green to pinkish or brownish markings. Flowers in 8-20 flowered clusters. Flowers spring to summer.

Nothoscordum gracile in PlantNET.

PlantNET description (as Nothoscordum gracile):   http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Nothoscordum~gracile  (accessed 13 April 2021)