Synonyms:

• (=) Allium descendens L.

Common names:

• ball-head onion  (Source: Weed CIBA) - English
• round-head garlic  (Source: Pl Book) - English
• round-head leek  (Source: Dict Gard) - English
• ail à tête ronde  (Source: Zander ed17) - French
• Kugellauch  (Source: Zander ed17) - German
• klotlök  (Source: Kulturvaxtdatabas) - Swedish

Economic Importance:

• Environmental: ornamental (fide Rev sect Allium 47. 1996)
• Gene sources: tertiary genetic relative of onion (based on hybrid formation with Allium cepa fide Theor Appl Genet 92:419. 1996)
• Weed: (fide Weed CIBA)

Distributional Range:

Native

Africa

• MACARONESIA: Spain [Canary Islands]
• NORTHERN AFRICA: Algeria, Egypt (n.), Morocco, Tunisia

Asia-Temperate

• WESTERN ASIA: Cyprus, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey
• CAUCASUS: Russian Federation-Ciscaucasia [Ciscaucasia]

Europe

• NORTHERN EUROPE: United Kingdom
• MIDDLE EUROPE: Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Hungary, Switzerland
• EASTERN EUROPE: Belarus, Russian Federation-European part, [European part (s.)] Ukraine
• SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE: Albania, Bulgaria, Former Yugoslavia, Greece, Italy (incl. Sardinia, Sicily), Romania
• SOUTHWESTERN EUROPE: France (incl. Corsica), Portugal, Spain


Cultivated (also cult.)

References:

1. Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource on www.skud.info). 2012 (Kulturvaxtdatabas)
2. Boulos, L. Flora of Egypt. 1999- (F Egypt)
3. CIBA-GEIGY, Basel, Switzerland Documenta CIBA-GEIGY (Grass weeds 1. 1980, 2. 1981; Monocot weeds 3. 1982; Dicot weeds 1. 1988) (Weed CIBA)
4. Davis, P. H., ed. Flora of Turkey and the east Aegean islands. 1965-1988 (F Turk)
5. Erhardt, W. et al. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 17. Auflage. 2002 (Zander ed17)
6. Euro+Med Editorial Committee Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource). (EuroMed Plantbase)
7. Huxley, A., ed. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening. 1992 (Dict Gard)
8. Izquierdo Z., I. et al., eds. Lista de especies silvestres de Canarias: hongos, plantas y animales terrestres. 2004 (L Canarias)
9. Keller, E. R. J. et al. 1996. Interspecific crosses of onion with distant Allium species and characterization of the presumed hybrids by means of flow cytometry, karyotype analysis and genomic in situ hybridization Theor. Appl. Genet. 92:417-424.
10. Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. Flora SSSR. 1934-1964 (F USSR)
11. Mabberley, D. J. The plant-book: a portable dictionary of the vascular plants, ed. 2. 1997 (Pl Book)
12. Mathew, B. A review of Allium sect. Allium. 1996 (Rev sect Allium) 119,120.
13. Meikle, R. D. Flora of Cyprus. 1977-1985 (F Cyprus)
14. Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. Flora europaea. 1964-1980 (F Eur)
15. Valdés, B. et al., eds. Catalogue des plantes vasculaires du nord du Maroc, incluant des clés d'identification. 2002 (L NMaroc)

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN-Taxonomy).
National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL: http://germoplasma.iniaf.gob.bo/gringlobal/taxonomydetail.aspx?id=2383. Accessed 12 marzo 2026.