Nothoscordum gracile (Dryander) Stearn

Locations ofNothoscordum gracile (Dryander) Stearn in Virginia

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Detail

Family
Alliaceae
Botanical Name
Nothoscordum gracile (Dryander) Stearn
Common Name
Fragrant False Garlic
Synonym(s)
Nothoscordum borbonicum Kunth; Allium inodoratum Ait.
Flora of Virginia Name/Status
in Taxa Not Treated: Waifs
Comments
The proper name for our plants is uncertain. Ravenna states (in Taxon 40:485-487 (1991)) that the weedy Nothoscordum is N. borbonicum rather than N. gracile as Stearn had written in Taxon 35:335-338 (1986). While she agrees that the type specimen of N. inodorum belongs to an Allium and that the next available name in Nothoscordum is N. gracile, the two authors seem to disagree on the proper name for the cosmopolitan "weedy species". We are not able to resolve this and simply follow FNA whose authors feel that N. borbonicum is a misapplied name. Morphologically, at least some of our plants are borbonicum according to the characters given by Ravenna, however, this does not resolve the question of the application of that name.
Habitat
Lawns, forest borders, and waste places in urban areas; populations from plantings have been reported to persist and spread for decades. Rare, reported only from Fairfax, Chesterfield, and Henrico counties, and Virginia Beach City.
Native Status
Introduced

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