Allium akaka
Allium akaka
Safety & Hazards
Although no individual reports regarding this species have been seen, there have been cases of poisoning caused by the consumption, in large quantities and by some mammals, of certain members of this genus. Dogs seem to be particularly susceptible[ 76 Title Poisonous Plants in Britain and their Effects on Animals and Man. Publication Author Cooper. M. and Johnson. A. Publisher HMSO Year 1984 ISBN 0112425291 Description Concentrates mainly on the effects of poisonous plants to livestock. ].
Botanical Description
Allium akaka is a herbaceous, perennial plant producing usually two leaves up to 20cm long and a flowering scape 5 - 15cm tall from a bulb around 20 - 25mm in diameter. The plant divides, forming in time a cluster of plants[ 74 Title Flora of the USSR. Publication Author Komarov. V. L. Website http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org Publisher Israel Program for Scientific Translation Year 1968 ISBN - Description An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers. It can be downloaded from the Internet. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine. It is sometimes cultivated as a food crop in Iran, where it is sold in the bazaars of Teheran[ 105 Title Tanaka's Cyclopedia of Edible Plants of the World. Publication Author Tanaka. T. & Nakao S. Publisher Keigaku Publishing; Tokyo Year 1976 ISBN - Description The most comprehensive list of edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader. , 183 Title Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Publication Author Facciola. S. Publisher Kampong Publications Year 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9 Description Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world. ]. It is also sometimes grown as an ornamental.