Allium thunbergii (Thunberg's chive, "Yamarakkyo")

Japanese name: ヤマラッキョウ （山辣韮、山辣韭、山薤）
Scientific name: Allium thunbergii

[Overview]
A perennial 30–60 cm tall with an underground bulb, growing in mountain grasslands.
The bulb is narrowly ovate, about 2–3 cm long.
The outer coat of the bulb is grayish white, and sometimes the old outer coat remains as fibers.
The leaves are basal, linear, 20–50 cm long and about 0.2–0.5 cm wide, hollow, and bluntly triangular in cross section.
A spherical umbel appears at the tip of the flower stalk, bearing many reddish-purple flowers.
There are 6 tepals, elliptic with rounded tips, 0.4–0.7 cm long, and they do not open flat.
The stamens are markedly longer than the tepals.
The fruit is a capsule.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed or by dividing bulbs.
It prefers a sunny, airy site with well-drained soil.
A mixture of akadama soil and kanuma soil works well.
Take care that it does not dry out; for potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries, and for plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient unless sunny weather continues and the soil becomes dry.
Besides base fertilizer, place a small amount of slow-release fertilizer on the soil in spring and autumn.
Pests and diseases include aphids and the leek moth.

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