Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

Allium lusitanicum
  • RHS Plants for pollinators

Portuguese allium

Bulbous perennial to about 20cm tall, forming a clump of slender, strap-shaped, onion-scented mid-green leaves, and bearing rounded heads of pale purple flowers in mid- to late summer

Synonyms
Allium tanguticum 'Summer Beauty'
Allium 'Summer Beauty'
see moreAllium serotinum
Allium montanum Schmidt
Allium fallax subsp. montanum
Allium fallax
Allium senescens subsp. montanum
Allium montanum F.W. Schmidt non Schrank.
Buy this plant
Size
Ultimate height
0.1–0.5 metres
Time to ultimate height
2–5 years
Ultimate spread
0–0.1 metre
Growing conditions
Chalk
Clay
Loam
Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained, Well–drained
pH
Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Colour & scent
StemFlowerFoliageFruit
Spring Green
Summer Purple Green
Autumn
Winter
Position
  • Full sun
  • Partial shade
Aspect

West–facing or South–facing or East–facing

Exposure
Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness
H6
Botanical details
Family
Amaryllidaceae
Native to the UK
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Clump forming
Genus

Allium are bulbous herbaceous perennials with a strong onion or garlic scent, linear, strap-shaped or cylindrical basal leaves and star-shaped or bell-shaped flowers in an umbel on a leafless stem

Name status

Correct

Plant range
Europe

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in full sun and fertile well-drained soil. It is best to grow in containers where garden soil is heavy clay and prone to saturation over winter. See allium cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by seed when just ripe or in spring; or propagate by offsets which can be carefully detached by lifting the bulb after flowering has finished. See bulb propagation

Suggested planting locations and garden types
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Patio and container plants
  • Gravel garden
  • Wildflower meadow
  • Wildlife gardens
  • Flower borders and beds
Pruning

No pruning required, other than to remove old flowered stems and foliage

Pests

May be susceptible to allium leaf miner and onion fly

Diseases

May be susceptible to onion white rot, and onion downy mildew

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.