Fact Sheet

family in that it has a . In the Great Plains, it FALSE GARLIC flowers from April to May.

Nothoscordum bivalve (L.) It is very common in yards, parks, roadsides and Britt. pastures. Seldom is it found in cropland fields, due Plant Symbol = NOBI2 to plowing. False garlic does not tolerate ponded or saturated soils, nor is it commonly found in harsh dry Contributed by: USDA NRCS Nacagdoches (TX) environments. Associated in Texas are henbit Technical Office (Lamium amplexicaule), chickweed (Stellaria media), buttercups (Ranunculus spp.) and bedstraws (Galium spp.).

Other similar plants are native onions or garlics (Allium spp.), which have a distinctive odor. Similar plants that do not have a distinctive odor are some species of Narcissus (daffodils) and star-of- Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum). Neither of these have the distinctive two at the base of the .

Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin) © Jane Villa-Lobos Smithsonian Institution-Botany None known. Contact your local NRCS office for @ plants.usda.gov seed sources of this species.

Alternate Names Prepared By: Crowpoison, Allium bivalve, crow-poison Lee Davis, USDA NRCS Technical Office #2, Nacagdoches, Texas. Uses It is grazed by livestock, but seldom represents a Species Coordinator: significant percentage of diet due to low productivity. Lee Davis, USDA NRCS Technical Office #2, Nacagdoches, Texas. Status This is considered rare or threatened in two Midwest Edited: 28sep05 jsp; 060802 jsp states in 2005. Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for For more information about this and other plants, please contact this plant’s current status (e.g. threatened or your local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS Web site or the Plant Materials endangered species, state noxious status, and wetland Program Web site indicator values). The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits Description and Adaptation discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of Lily Family (Liliaceae). False garlic is a cool season, race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political native perennial herb and is one of the first plants in beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities Texas to emerge and flower during the spring of the who require alternative means for communication of program year. The leaves are very narrow (6 to 16 inches information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact long), while the flower stem is round. False garlic USDA's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD). typically is from 5-22 inches in height. Flowers are To file a complaint of discrimination write USDA, Director, Office white with a yellow base on the inside, about 1 inch of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and in diameter, and have 6 perianth parts (petals and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call sepals). This species has two bracts that are located 202-720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity at the base of the inflorescence. This “odorless” provider and employer. species is similar to most other plants in the lily

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