Field Guide
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Wild Garlic
Allium ursinum
Not yet photographed by the community
Carpets damp woodland with white stars and a pungent scent.
Species Profile
Not threatened; remains common and widespread across suitable habitat
- Lifespan
- Perennial; individual plants persist for many years, with bulbs capable of living 10+ years
- Size & Weight
- 20–45 cm tall; white flower heads 2–3 cm diameter; bulbs 0.5–1 cm
- Habitat
- Deciduous and mixed woodlands, hedgerows, and damp shaded areas with rich, moist soils.
- UK Distribution
- Found throughout mainland Britain and Ireland, most abundant in southern and central England and Wales; absent from many upland areas and northern Scottish regions.
- Diet
- Perennial herb; obtains nutrients from soil through bulbs and roots; produces own food via photosynthesis
- Predators
- Slugs and snails; deer and rabbits browse leaves; bulbs may be damaged by voles and other rodents
- Mating Season
- April to June (flowering period)
- Breeding
- Reproduces both sexually via seed and vegetatively through bulb division; white star-shaped flowers clustered in umbels; seeds mature by summer
- Behaviour
- Wild garlic forms extensive colonies in woodlands, often carpeting the forest floor in spring. It is a spring ephemeral, flowering before tree canopy fully closes. Plants produce a characteristic garlic aroma when crushed.
- •Also known as ramsons or bear's garlic, the scientific name 'ursinum' derives from the Latin 'ursus' (bear), as bears were said to seek out the bulbs after hibernation
- •The entire plant—leaves, stems, bulbs, and flowers—is edible and commonly foraged in the UK for culinary use
- •A single plant can produce hundreds of seeds dispersed by ants, which collect the nutrient-rich seed attachments
- •Wild garlic leaves emerge in early spring (February–March) and die back by early summer, avoiding competition from tree shade
- •In some regions, extensive wild garlic colonies have become so dominant they exclude other woodland flora, raising conservation concerns for biodiversity
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