Allium zebdanense

Lebanon Onion Amaryllidaceae

A rather elegant little onion from the mountains of the eastern Mediterranean, and one that deserves considerably more garden space than its modest stature might suggest. Forming neat clumps of narrow, grassy foliage, it produces wiry stems topped in spring with loose umbels of delicate white, starry flowers, each petal finely veined in green.

Native from Lebanon and Syria through Türkiye to the Transcaucasus, it is particularly useful for naturalising in light woodland or beneath deciduous trees, where it appreciates the combination of spring light and summer dryness. Equally happy in sun in a well-drained soil, and inclined to increase gently rather than stage a hostile takeover.

There is also a culinary side to this seemingly demure little Allium. In Turkey the young leaves are eaten fresh, including in salads and as an appetiser, while the leaves and bulbs have also been recorded as food and seasoning. So, quite literally, a useful little onion — ornamental, edible and considerably less bombastic than its giant-headed cousins.

Allium chionanthum is a synonym.

H6 –15 to –20°C
Height: 30–50 cm
Spread: 20–30 cm
Flowers: April–May
Soil: Well drained, preferably gritty; tolerates dry conditions
Aspect: Sun or light deciduous shade
Edible: Young leaves, bulbs and foliage traditionally used as food or seasoning in Turkey.

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