About Nothoscordum gracile (Aiton) Stearn
Nothoscordum gracile (Aiton) Stearn is a perennial, deciduous, bulbous herb. It produces cylindrical green scapes that grow 20–60 cm tall. Its leaves are strap-like, simple, linear, with an entire margin and grow from the plant base. The plant produces hermaphrodite flowers, which are bell-shaped, whitish in color, and frequent. Flowers are grouped into terminal umbels, have a sweet scent similar to lily, and bloom from mid spring to early summer. Its fruit is a loculicidal capsule that ripens by early summer. The species is native to the range from southeast Mexico to South America, and is widely naturalized in Australia, the USA, South Asia, Southern Europe, and Africa. It is a garden escape that has become a widespread, highly invasive, common weed in gardens that is difficult to eradicate. It grows in grasslands, lawns, footpaths, pastures, and roadsides. It disperses via seed and underground bulblets; its seeds can be further spread by wind, water, and dumped garden waste. Its bulb is roughly 15 mm in diameter and is edible. The plant can be used as a garlic substitute and as a spice.
