Allium caeruleum Pall.

25-95 cm. Leaves triangular in cross section, channeled. Umbel hemispherical to spherical, densely many-flowered. Flowers azure. Good for grouping and as a cut flower, because of the very unusual blue color.

Bulb solitary, subglobose, 1--2 cm in diam., usually bearing bulbels at base; tunic dull gray, papery, entire, Leaves linear, twisted when dried, shorter than scape, (1--)2--5 mm wide, fistulose, abaxially angled, smooth or scabrous-denticulate along angles. Scape 25--35 cm, terete, smooth or scabrous-denticulate along angles, covered with leaf sheaths for ca. 1/3 its length. Spathe 2-valved, persistent. Umbel hemispheric to globose, densely many flowered, sometimes with bulblets or with bulblets only. Pedicels subequal, 2--6 × as long as perianth, bracteolate. Perianth azure; segments oblong to oblong-lanceolate, equal, 3--5 × 0.8--1.8 mm; inner ones narrower than outer. Filaments equal, slightly shorter to slightly longer than perianth segments, connate and adnate to perianth segments, base triangular; inner ones 1.5--2 × as wide as outer, sometimes 1-toothed on each side at base. Ovary subglobose, with concave nectaries covered by hoodlike projections at base. Style exserted. Fl. and fr. Jun--Aug. 2 n = 16.

European part of Russia in Caspian Sea area, Siberia (southwestern regions), Central Asia and northwestern China.

Xinjiang (Altay Shan, Tian Shan) [Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan].

Dry slopes, plains; 1100--2300 m.

Allium azureum Ledebour; A. coerulescens G. Don; A. viviparum Karelin & Kirilov.