Allium ampeloprasum babbingtonii - Babbington's Leek

Habitat

Exposition

Plein soleil

Vent

Tolère les vents forts

Humidité

Sol sec à moyen.

Sol

Tous sols. Tolère les sols très argileux. Nécessite un sol drainant.

pH

Sol acide ou calcaire

Rusticité

Zone 6

Habitat originel

Clefts of rocks and sandy places near the coast[17].

Origine géographique

Britain in S.W. England and the Channel Islands.

Dangers connus

• 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 .
• Les chiens semblent particulièrement sensibles [76].

Comestibilité

• Bulbe - cru ou cuit .
• The small bulbs can vary considerably in size from 2 - 6cm[200], they have a pleasant mild garlic flavour [K].
• Feuilles - crues ou cuites .
• The young leaves are pleasant raw, older leaves quickly become fibrous and are best cooked .
• They have a nice leek flavour [K].
• The plants come into new growth in early winter and the leaves are often available from January [K].
• Fleurs - crues .
• A pleasant mild garlic flavour, but with a rather dry texture [K].
• This species produces mainly bulbils and very few flowers [K].
• The bulbils have a mild garlic flavour and make a nice flavouring in salads and cooked foods .
• Although produced abundantly, they are quite fiddly to use because they are small [K].
• They can also be pickled [142].

Usages médicinaux

• This species has the same medicinal virtues as garlic, but in a much milder and less effective form [238].
• These virtues are as follows:- .
• .
• .
• .
• Garlic has a very long folk history of use in a wide range of ailments, particularly ailments such as ringworm, Candida and vaginitis where its fungicidal, antiseptic, tonic and parasiticidal properties have proved of benefit [218].
• It is also said to have anticancer activity [218].
• Daily use of garlic in the diet has been shown to have a very beneficial effect on the body, especially the blood system and the heart .
• For example, demographic studies suggest that garlic is responsible for the low incidence of arteriosclerosis in areas of Italy and Spain where consumption of the bulb is heavy [222].
• The bulb is said to be anthelmintic, antiasthmatic, anticholesterolemic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, cholagogue, diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, febrifuge, stimulant, stomachic, tonic, vasodilator [4, 9, 14, 21, 46, 165].
• The crushed bulb may be applied as a poultice to ease the pain of bites, stings etc [4, 9, 14, 21].

Autres usages

• Le jus de la plante est utilisé pour repousser les mites .
• Toute la plante est censée repousser les insectes et les taupes [20].

Culture

• Prefers a sunny position in a light well-drained soil [1].
• Succeeds in clay soils [203].
• Tolerates a pH in the range 5.2 to 8.3 .
• Les bulbes doivent être plantés assez profondément [1].
• Closely allied to the wild leek, A. ampeloprasum, differing mainly in its having more bulbils and fewer flowers in the flowering head [17].
• Plants can spread freely by means of their bulbils and sometimes become a weed in the garden [203].
• Where the plant is found wild in Britain it might be as a relic of early cultivation in monasteries etc [203].
• Pousse bien avec la plupart des plantes, notamment les roses, carrottes, betteraves et camomille, mais inhibe la croissance des légumes [18, 20, 54].
• La plante est un mauvais compagnon pour la luzerne, chaque espèce affectant l'autre négativement [201].
• Les membres de ce genre sont rarement (ou jamais) incommodés par le broutage des cerfs. [233].

Propagation

• Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame, though it can also be sown in a cold frame in the spring [200].
• Repiquez les pousses dans des pots individuels quand elles sont suffisamment grandes pour être manipulées .
• Well-grown plants can be planted out into their final positions in late summer or the autumn, otherwise grow them on for a further year in pots and plant them out the following summer .
• This species produces few if any seeds .
• Division in late summer or early autumn .
• Dig up the bulbs when the plants are dormant and divide the small bulblets at the base of the larger bulb .
• Replant immediately, either in the open ground or in pots in a cold frame .
• Bulbils - plant out as soon as they are ripe in late summer .
• The bulbils can be planted direct into their permanent positions, though you get better results if you pot them up and plant them out the following spring .