Editing Allium ursinum

{{Short description|Species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = 387 Allium ursinum.jpg
|image_caption=
|taxon = Allium ursinum
| parent = Allium subg. Amerallium
| authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]
|synonyms=
{{collapsible list|bullets = true
|title=<small>Species synonymy</small>
|''[[Aglitheis ursina]]'' <small>(L.) Raf.</small>
|''[[Allium latifolium]]'' <small>Gilib.</small>
|''[[Allium longipetiolatum]]'' <small>St.-Lag.</small>
|''[[Allium nemorale]]'' <small>Salisb.</small>
|''[[Allium petiolatum]]'' <small>Lam.</small>
|''[[Allium ucrainicum]]'' <small>(Oksner & Kleopow) Bordz.</small>
|''[[Allium ursinoides]]'' <small>G.Don ex Sweet</small>
|''Allium ursinum'' subsp. ''ucrainicum'' <small>Oksner & Kleopow</small>
|''Allium ursinum'' var. ''ucrainicum'' <small>(Oksner & Kleopow) Soó</small>
|''Allium ursinum'' subsp. ''ucrainicum'' <small>Kleop. & Oxner</small>
|''[[Allium vincetoxicum]]'' <small>Pall. ex Ledeb.</small>
|''[[Cepa ursina]]'' <small>(L.) Bernh.</small>
|''[[Geboscon ursinum]]'' <small>(L.) Raf.</small>
|''[[Hylogeton ursinum]]'' <small>(L.) Salisb.</small>
|''[[Moly latifolium]]'' <small>(Gilib.) Gray</small>
|''[[Ophioscorodon ursinum]]'' (<small>L.) Wallr.</small>
}}
|synonyms_ref=<ref>[http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/synonomy.do?name_id=296893 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families]</ref>
}}
[[File:Photo of Allium Ursinum, wild garlic, north-west Hampshire, UK, May 2014.jpg|thumbnail|right|Wild garlic in Hampshire, UK]]
'''''Allium ursinum''''', known as '''wild garlic''', '''ramsons''', '''cowleekes''', '''cows's leek''', '''cowleek''', '''buckrams''', '''broad-leaved garlic''', '''wood garlic''', '''bear leek''', '''Eurasian wild garlic''' or '''bear's garlic''', is a [[bulb]]ous perennial [[flowering plant]] in the [[Amaryllis|amaryllis]] family, [[Amaryllidaceae]]. It is native to Eurasia, where it grows in moist woodland.<ref name=":1">[http://pgrc3.agr.ca/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?2413 GRIN-CA] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190112002519/http://pgrc3.agr.ca/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?2413 |date=2019-01-12 }}, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada</ref> It is a wild relative of [[onion]] and [[garlic]], all belonging to the same genus, ''[[Allium]]''. There are two recognized subspecies: ''A.&nbsp;ursinum'' subsp. ''ursinum'' and ''A.&nbsp;ursinum'' subsp. ''ucrainicum''.<ref name=":0" />

== Etymology ==
The Latin specific name ''ursinum'' translates to 'bear' and refers to the supposed fondness of the [[brown bear]] for the bulbs; folk tales describe the bears consuming them after awakening from hibernation.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last1=Sobolewska|first1=Danuta|last2=Podolak|first2=Irma|last3=Makowska-Wąs|first3=Justyna|date=2015|title=Allium ursinum: botanical, phytochemical and pharmacological overview|journal=Phytochemistry Reviews|volume=14|issue=1|pages=81–97|doi=10.1007/s11101-013-9334-0|issn=1568-7767|pmc=4352197|pmid=25774103|bibcode=2015PChRv..14...81S }}</ref>  Another theory is that the "''ursinum''" may refer to [[Ursa Major]], as ''A.&nbsp;ursinum'' was perhaps one of the most northerly distributed ''Allium'' species known to the [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greeks]],<ref name=":0" /> though this hypothesis is disputed.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Kolosova|first1=Valeria|last2=Svanberg|first2=Ingvar|last3=Kalle|first3=Raivo|last4=Strecker|first4=Lisa|last5=Özkan|first5=Ayşe Mine Gençler|last6=Pieroni|first6=Andrea|last7=Cianfaglione|first7=Kevin|last8=Molnár|first8=Zsolt|last9=Papp|first9=Nora|last10=Łuczaj|first10=Łukasz|last11=Dimitrova|first11=Dessislava|date=2017-02-21|title=The bear in Eurasian plant names: motivations and models|url= |journal=Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine|volume=13|issue=1|pages=14|doi=10.1186/s13002-016-0132-9|issn=1746-4269|pmc=5320662|pmid=28222790 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Common names for the plant in many languages also make reference to bears.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ramsons names - Encyclopedia of Life|url=https://eol.org/pages/1085089/names|access-date=2021-02-17|website=eol.org}}</ref>

Cows love to eat them, hence the modern vernacular name of cows's leek.<ref name="Home">{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://www.foragerscalendar.net/ |access-date=2022-07-28 |website=Forager's Calendar |language=en}}</ref> In Devon, dairy farmers have occasionally had the milk of their herds rejected because of the garlic flavour imparted to it by the cows having grazed upon the plant.<ref name="Home"/>

Ramsons is from the [[Old English]] word ''hramsa'', meaning "garlic". There is evidence it has been used in British cuisine since the [[Celtic Britons]] over 1,500 years ago.<ref name="Company">{{Cite web |last=|first= |date=2022-03-28 |title=Foraging focus: wild garlic |url=https://www.foragingcoursecompany.co.uk/post/articles-foraging-focus-wild-garlic |access-date=2022-07-28 |website=www.foragingcoursecompany.co.uk |language=en}}</ref>

Early healers among the Celts, Gaels, and Teutonic tribes and ancient Romans were familiar with the wild herb who called it ''herba salutaris'', meaning 'healing herb'.<ref name="Company"/>

==Description==
[[File:Illustration Allium ursinum1.jpg|thumb|1885 illustration from [[Otto Wilhelm Thomé]]]]
''Allium ursinum'' is a bulbous, perennial herbaceous [[Monocotyledon|monocot]], that reproduces primarily by seed. The narrow bulbs are formed from a single leaf base<ref name=CTW/> and produce bright green entire, elliptical leaves up to {{cvt|25|cm|in|frac=2}} long by {{cvt|7|cm|in|frac=2}} wide with a petiole up to {{cvt|20|cm|in|frac=2}} long.<ref name=CTW/> The [[inflorescence]] is an [[umbel]] of six to 20 white flowers, lacking the [[bulbil]]s produced by some other ''Allium'' species such as ''[[Allium vineale]]'' (crow garlic) and ''[[Allium oleraceum]]'' (field garlic).<ref>{{cite book |year=1981 |title=Reader's Digest Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of Britain |page=383 |publisher=[[Reader's Digest]] |isbn=978-0-276-00217-5}}</ref><ref name=CTW/><ref name="Stace">{{cite book |last=Stace |first=C. A. |author-link=Stace, C. A. |title=New Flora of the British Isles |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-521-70772-5 |edition=Third |location=Cambridge, U.K. |pages=902}}</ref> The flowers are star-like with six white [[tepal]]s, about {{cvt|16–20|mm|in|frac=16}} in diameter, with stamens shorter than the perianth.<ref name=CTW/>

It flowers in the British Isles from April to June,<ref name="CTW">{{cite book |last1=Clapham |first1=A.R. |title=Excursion Flora of the British Isles |last2=Tutin |first2=T.G. |last3=Warburg |first3=E.F. |date=1981 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=0-521-23290-2 |edition=Third |pages=394}}</ref> starting before deciduous trees leaf in the spring. The [[peduncle (botany)|flower stem]] is triangular in cross-section and the leaves are broadly lanceolate, similar to those of the toxic lily of the valley (''[[Convallaria majalis]]'').<ref name=":0" />

=== Similarity to poisonous plants ===
[[File:Allium ursinum, Arum maculatum.jpg|thumb|''Allium ursinum'' (left) and ''[[Arum maculatum]]'' (right) growing side by side in a woodland]]
Plants that may be mistaken for ''A.&nbsp;ursinum'' include [[lily of the valley]], ''[[Colchicum autumnale]]'', ''[[Arum maculatum]]'', and ''[[Veratrum viride]]'' or ''[[Veratrum album]]'',<ref name="Gilotta">{{cite journal |last1=Gilotta |first1=Irene |last2=Brvar |first2=Miran |year=2010 |title=Accidental poisoning with ''Veratrum album'' mistaken for wild garlic (''Allium ursinum'') |journal=Clinical Toxicology |volume=48 |issue=9 |pages=949–952 |doi=10.3109/15563650.2010.533675 |issn=1556-3650 |pmid=21171854 |s2cid=207657813}}</ref> all of which are poisonous. In Europe, where ramsons are popularly harvested from the wild, people are regularly poisoned after mistakenly picking lily of the valley or ''Colchicum autumnale''.<ref name="GFIRA">[http://www.bfr.bund.de/en/press_information/2005/10/risk_of_mix_up_with_bears_garlic-6228.html Risk of mix-up with bear's garlic - BfR warns pickers about fatal consequences of mistaking free-growing poisonous plants for bear's garlic, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment; 2005]</ref>

Grinding the leaves between the fingers and checking for a garlic-like smell can be helpful, but if the smell remains on the hands, one can mistake a subsequent poisonous plant for a safe one.<ref name="GFIRA" /> When the leaves of ''A.&nbsp;ursinum'' and ''[[Arum maculatum]]'' first sprout, they look similar, but unfolded ''Arum maculatum'' leaves have irregular edges and many deep veins, while ramsons leaves are convex with a single main vein. The leaves of lily of the valley are in pairs, dull green, and come from a single reddish-purple stem, while the leaves of ''A.&nbsp;ursinum'' each have their own stem, are shiny when new, and are bright green.<ref name="Blamey">{{cite book |last1=Blamey |first1=M. |title=Wild flowers of Britain and Ireland: The Complete Guide to the British and Irish Flora. |last2=Fitter |first2=R. |last3=Fitter |first3=A |publisher=A & C Black |year=2003 |isbn=978-1-4081-7950-5 |location=London |pages=320}}</ref>

==Distribution and habitat==
It is native to Europe and Asia, where it grows in moist woodland.<ref name=":1" /> It can be found in temperate Europe from Ireland east to the [[Caucasus]].{{citation needed|reason=Den Virtuella Floran has closed permanently due to copyright issues|date=February 2023}} It is common in much of the lowlands of the British Isles with the exception of the far north of Scotland, [[Orkney]] and [[Shetland]].<ref name="BSBImap">{{cite web |url=http://bsbi.org/maps/?taxonid=2cd4p9h.8a0#style=N4IgLgpgtgDgNgQ0gOQK5QEYQE4gFwgCMIAvkA |title=BSBI map ''Allium ursinum'' |publisher=Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland }}</ref> The ''ursinum'' subspecies is found in western and central Europe, while the ''ucrainicum'' subspecies is found in the east and southeast.<ref name=":0" />[[File:Riis Skov (maj) 05.JPG|thumb|''A. ursinum'' covers the forest floor in early May ([[Riis Skov]], Denmark)]]
It grows in [[deciduous]] woodlands with moist soils, preferring slightly acidic conditions. In the British Isles, colonies are frequently associated with bluebells (''[[Hyacinthoides non-scripta]]''), especially in [[ancient woodland]]. It is considered to be an ancient woodland indicator species.<ref>[http://www.britishwildlife.com/classic_articles/BW%2010-241-251%20Indicators%20of%20ancient%20woodland.pdf British Wildlife - April 1999  - Francis Rose, ''Indicators of ancient woodland: The use of vascular plants in evaluating ancient woods for nature conservation'', p. 246] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005051421/http://www.britishwildlife.com/classic_articles/BW%2010-241-251%20Indicators%20of%20ancient%20woodland.pdf |date=2011-10-05 }}</ref>

== Ecology ==
As its name suggests, ''A.&nbsp;ursinum'' is an important food for brown bears.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Kusak |first1=Josip |last2=Huber |first2=Djuro |date=1998 |title=Brown Bear Habitat Quality in Gorski Kotar, Croatia |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3873137 |journal=Ursus |volume=10 |pages=281–291 |issn=1537-6176 |jstor=3873137}}</ref> The plant is also a favourite of [[wild boar]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

''A. ursinum'' is the primary larval host plant for a specialised hoverfly, ''[[Portevinia maculata]]'' (ramsons hoverfly).<ref>[https://www.naturespot.org.uk/node/132924 Nature Spot - Portevinia maculata]</ref>

The flowers are pollinated by [[bees]].<ref>[https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/trees-woods-and-wildlife/plants-and-fungi/woodland-wildflowers/ramsons/ Woodland Trust - Ramsons]</ref>

== Uses ==
All parts of ''A.&nbsp;ursinum'' are edible. The leaves can be used as salad, herb,<ref name="Seidemann2005">{{cite book |author=Johannes Seidemann |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fhN0VK2608QC&pg=PA27 |title=World spice plants |publisher=Springer |year=2005 |isbn=978-3-540-22279-8 |pages=27 |access-date=13 April 2011}}</ref> boiled as a vegetable,<ref name="(COR)2001">{{cite book |author=Institut Fur Pflanzengenetik Und Kulturpflanzenforschung Gatersleben (COR) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=10IMFSavIMsC&pg=PA2251 |title=Mansfeld's Encyclopedia of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: (Except Ornamentals) |date=11 May 2001 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-3-540-41017-1 |pages=2251– |access-date=13 April 2011}}</ref> in soup, or as an ingredient for a sauce that may be a substitute for [[pesto]] in lieu of [[basil]].  Leaves are also often used to make garlic butter.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wild Garlic – What You Need to Know – Obey Your Hunger |url=https://obeyyourhunger.com/how-to-cook-wild-garlic/}}</ref> In Russia the stems are preserved by salting and eaten as a salad. A variety of [[Cornish Yarg]] cheese has a rind coated in wild garlic leaves.<ref>{{Cite web |title=British Cheese Board - Lynher Farms & Dairies: Cornish Yarg |url=http://www.britishcheese.com/members/lynher_farms_and_dairies-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422140639/http://www.britishcheese.com/members/lynher_farms_and_dairies-20 |archive-date=2019-04-22 |access-date=2013-05-06}}</ref> The leaves can be pickled in the same way as ''[[Allium ochotense]]'' known as mountain garlic in Korea.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Koch |first1=Matthias |last2=Hosono |first2=Ryusei |title=Pickled Mountain Garlic Korean Vegetarian Sidedish Recipe ✪ Japanese & Korean Recipes |url=https://ryukoch.com/recipe/pickled-mountain-garlic/ |access-date=2020-12-29 |website=Asiatischer Foodblog RyuKoch.com |language=en}}</ref> The bulbs can be used similarly to garlic cloves, and the flowers are also edible. Parts of the plant can be used for preparing [[Van herbed cheese]], a speciality of the Van province in Turkey.{{citation needed|date=September 2015}}

Popular dishes using the plant include pesto, soups, pasta, cheese, scones and Devonnaise.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

The leaves are also used as fodder. Cows that have fed on ramsons give milk that tastes slightly of garlic, and butter made from this milk used to be very popular in 19th-century Switzerland.{{citation needed|date=July 2013}}

The first evidence of the human use of ''A.&nbsp;ursinum'' comes from the [[Mesolithic]] settlement of [[Barkær]] (Denmark), where an impression of a leaf has been found. In the Swiss [[Neolithic]] settlement of [[Thayngen]]-Weier ([[Cortaillod culture]]),  a high concentration of [[pollen]] from ''A.&nbsp;ursinum'' was found in the settlement layer, interpreted by some as evidence for use of the plant as fodder.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Kühn|first1=Marlu|last2=Maier|first2=Ursula|last3=Herbig|first3=Christoph|last4=Ismail-Meyer|first4=Kristin|last5=Bailly|first5=Matthieu Le|last6=Wick|first6=Lucia|date=2013-02-01|title=Methods for the examination of cattle, sheep and goat dung in prehistoric wetland settlements with examples of the sites Alleshausen-Täschenwiesen and Alleshausen-Grundwiesen (around cal 2900 BC) at Lake Federsee, south-west Germany|url=https://doi.org/10.1179/1461410313Z.00000000017|journal=Environmental Archaeology|volume=18|issue=1|pages=43–57|doi=10.1179/1461410313Z.00000000017|bibcode=2013EnvAr..18...43K |s2cid=140699993|issn=1461-4103|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

=== Herbal remedy ===
''Allium ursinum'' has been credited with many medicinal qualities and is a popular homeopathic ingredient. It is often used for treating cardiovascular, respiratory, and digestive problems, as well as for the sterilisation of wounds.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sobolewska |first1=Danuta |last2=Podolak |first2=Irma |last3=Makowska-Wąs |first3=Justyna |date=December 25, 2013 |title=Allium ursinum: botanical, phytochemical and pharmacological overview |journal=Phytochemistry Reviews |volume=14 |issue=1 |pages=81–97 |bibcode=2015PChRv..14...81S |doi=10.1007/s11101-013-9334-0 |pmc=4352197 |pmid=25774103}}</ref>

Various minerals are found in much higher amounts in ''Allium ursinum'' than in clove garlic. It is sometimes called the "magnesium king" of plants because of the high levels of this mineral found in the leaves.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

== Gallery ==
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Daslook (Allium ursinum) d.j.b 07.jpg|Flower bud
File:Daslook (Allium ursinum) d.j.b 02.jpg|Young flowers
File:Daslook (Allium ursinum) d.j.b 05.jpg|
File:Allium ursinum (Bärlauch) - Blüte.jpg|
File:Allium ursinum2.jpg|
File:Allium ursinum sl1.jpg|Fruit with seeds
File:AlliumUrsinumAspekt.jpg|Ramsons in a forest
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Allioideae]]
* ''[[Allium tricoccum]]'' - North American wild leek (or "ramps", a [[cognate]] of "ramsons")
* ''[[Allium ampeloprasum]]'' - Eurasian broadleaf wild leek 
* ''[[Allium ochotense]]''
* ''[[Allium victorialis]]''
*[[List of Allium species|List of ''Allium'' species]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Allium ursinum}}
* [https://www.jstor.org/stable/2256973 Tutin, T.G. 1957. Biological flora of the British Isles: ''Allium ursinum''. Journal of Ecology 45(3) pp.1003-1010.]
* Ramsons at Gernot Katzer's [http://gernot-katzers-spice-pages.com/engl/Alli_urs.html Spice Pages]
* {{Wikispecies-inline|Allium ursinum|''Allium ursinum''}}
* {{PFAF|Allium ursinum}}

{{Allium}}
{{Non-timber forest products}}
{{taxonbar|from=Q130882}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Allium|ursinum]]
[[Category:Garlic]]
[[Category:Flora of Europe]]
[[Category:Herbs]]
[[Category:Medicinal plants of Asia]]
[[Category:Medicinal plants of Europe]]
[[Category:Plants described in 1753]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]