Wild Garlic (Allium ursinum)

Edibility:Edible Good

Eating notes: All parts of the pant can be eaten.  The underground bulbs can be used in place of garlic.  The leaves have a mild garlic/leek flavour and can be eaten raw in salads or used as an alternative to leek in cooking.  The flowers can make an edible garnish and are probably the most strongly garlic flavoured part of the plant.

Wild garlic tends to grow in large groups in shady or wooded areas. You'll often be able to smell it before you see it.

Height: 100 - 160cm

Leaves: Long arrow-shaped. Slightly shiny.

Flowers: A single tall flower stalk topped with a cluster of 6-petalled white flowers

Stems: No stem. The leaves and the flower-stalk all grow directly from the base.

Look-a-likes: There are several plants that are visually similar to Wild Garlic, particularly earlier in the spring before they have flowered. Lilly of the Valley is one such plant, as is Lords and Ladies. However, the clear smell of garlic is sufficient to distinguish Wild Garlic from anything else.