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The wild garlic harvest season begins in March and numerous enthusiasts set out again every year to collect wild garlic for their own use. With its characteristic aroma, Allium ursinum is one of the classics in the kitchen, but you have to be aware of hidden dangers when harvesting wild wild garlic. Lily of the valley and autumn crocus grow in the immediate vicinity and look confusingly similar to wild garlic, but on closer inspection the differences are clear.
risk of confusion
Caution: risk of confusion
Due to the similar leaf shape at first glance, it has often happened that people collect the poisonous lily of the valley and autumn crocus instead of wild garlic and poison themselves by eating them. It is therefore important to know how the individual species differ so that none of these dangerous poisonous plants end up in the basket during harvest time. The plants no longer really resemble each other after flowering, but it takes at least April until the first wild garlic flowers can be seen. Lily of the valley blooms even later. Therefore, in March it is particularly important to know the characteristics of each species.
- leaf shape
- color
- nature
- blossom
- growth
- odor
- location
wild garlic flower buds
All these elements help with identification and can be applied on the spot. It becomes difficult to distinguish the leaves once they have entered your collection bag. You are therefore on the safe side if you identify the plants before harvesting and only harvest the wild garlic plants that have been checked. This is the only way to completely rule out not having collected any poisonous leaves. It is fascinating to see that the three plants come from completely different families, but look very similar without the flower.
Notice: Of course, this distinction is only necessary if you go collecting wild wild garlic in the forest. If you've grown Allium ursinum yourself, you really can't confuse the plant unless you've planted autumn crocus or lily of the valley right next to it.
wild garlic
Wild garlic in detail
Allium ursinum belongs to the leek family and is related to garlic, onions and chives. The forest garlic is therefore just as popular in the kitchen as the other plants because it contains the same ingredients, just in a different concentration. One of the biggest and most important differences in wild garlic is the aroma. Of the three "doubles", only the wild garlic has essential oils in the leaves, which provide the typical smell and unmistakably indicate the leek plant.
The location is as follows:
- deciduous and mixed forests
- Lowland forests preferred
- moist, nutrient-rich soils, often loamy
- semi-shady
Wild garlic likes to grow in the dark and prefers soil that gives them enough space and nutrients to form large clusters. Depending on the location of the forest area, it can happen that the individual locations overlap and provide the poisonous plants with equally good conditions, which in turn can lead to confusion. From this point on, the determination of the leaves and growth is added, since the site conditions alone are not sufficient. It even often happens that Convallaria majalis grows directly between the wild garlic plants.
Wild garlic flowers with white umbels
wild garlic leaf
The wild garlic leaf is made up as follows:
- sprout earlier than lily of the valley and autumn crocus
- in warmer regions (southern Germany) from the end of February to the beginning of March
- between 1 - 3 leaves are formed, two are most common
- between 2 - 5 cm wide and oval
- each leaf grows individually on a petiole 5 - 20 mm long
- the stalk grows either directly from the bulb or the flower stalk
- parallel veins
- The underside of the leaf is matt (very important)
- triangular, hollow stem
- leaves are soft
- often look out of the snow
A crucial factor besides the smell is the underside of the leaf, where you can immediately tell which plant it is. Autumn crocus and lily of the valley do not have a matt underside and are also much harder than the soft wild garlic leaves. Because of this, the leaves lose their aroma more quickly. The differences in growth are just as important, because with Allium ursinum the leaves grow first on the stem and do not enclose it. They spread out from the flower stalk and hang down in an arc, the tip almost touching the ground.
wild garlic leaves
The flower, on the other hand, looks like this:
- Color white
- individual flowers, about 20, stand together in a pseudo umbel
- The umbel is round
- individual flower stalks can be up to 2 cm long
- Petals are between 8 - 10 mm long, mostly pointed
- Flowering period: April - June
The three plants are particularly easy to distinguish by their flowers and you cannot confuse them at all if you were to collect during the flowering period. However, the intense aroma of the leaves suffers under the flowers and therefore the best time to harvest falls in March, when the leaves are in their best growth phase. In general, it is recommended to only harvest the wild garlic when the individual stalks have already been driven far enough out of the ground. This will tell you whether the leaves are standing individually or together.
Notice: Don't rely solely on the smell of the leaves when collecting Allium ursinum. As the flavorings soak into the skin, the scent sticks to you and can cause you to rub the leaves of a poisonous double, leaving them smelling like witch bulbs.
lily of the valley
Lily of the valley in detail
The lily of the valley is an asparagus plant that comes from the same order as the forest garlic, but not from the same family. This is why they look so similar, but on closer inspection they differ significantly. These differences begin with the leaf, which is completely different from wild garlic. However, it's easy to confuse the two as they really do look alike, especially in the first few weeks after sprouting.
Lily of the valley is very poisonous
Lily of the Valley Leaf
The lily of the valley leaf in detail:
- do not sprout until March
- can often only be seen when there is no more snow
- two leaves are always formed, rarely three, although this is the exception
- Leaves sprout together on a stem
- then embrace the flower stalk
- the flower stalk shoots out from the middle between the leaves
- Length: 12 - 20 cm
- Width: 2.5 - 5 cm
- Leaves are rolled into the involucral sheet (bract).
- the bract turns brownish as it grows
- they are broad and lanceolate in shape
- Leaves are pointed and point upwards
- do not fall like wild garlic leaves
- there are also several lower leaves directly on the ground, which enclose the base
- have a glossy surface and underside
- have no aroma
The lily of the valley and wild garlic have the highest chance of being confused, as the differences are quite subtle at first glance. But on closer inspection, they can no longer be confused, at the latest when you turn the pages over. This is particularly important because lilies of the valley often do not form flowers when they are found in a wild garlic location. Since these are often shady, the lily of the valley focuses purely on the formation of the leaves, which makes it easy to confuse the two plants.
Convallaria majalis is more commonly found elsewhere:
- all forms of forests
- light forests preferred
- pine, beech and oak forests are particularly popular
- sunny locations help with flowering
The flower is characteristic, as it gave the plant its name. The small, white flowers hang down in bells and are all found on a long stalk that grows between the two leaves. During the flowering period from May to June, they are presented in all their glory.
Lily of the Valley Leaves
Tip: So that you do not confuse the two plants, you can easily expose the soil around the lily of the valley. They form rhizomes through which the roots grow close to the surface, which neither wild garlic nor autumn crocus do.
autumn crocus
Autumn crocus in detail
The autumn crocus belongs to the crocus family in the lily genus and is rarely found with wild garlic. The preferred location for autumn crocuses are wet meadows and forests. The edge of the forest is a typical area for Colchicum autumnale. However, it can happen that autumn crocus occurs together with wild garlic and here it is particularly important to distinguish between the two plants. Autumn crocus is even more poisonous than lily of the valley and a 50 gram amount is deadly in adults.
leaves
Therefore, you must not confuse the leaves:
- Leaves do not sprout until May
- are similar in size and texture to wild garlic leaves
- are longer, up to 40 cm
- are harder
- arise from a petiole, as in the case of the lily of the valley
- enclose the seed capsule in the lower part
- quite a lot of leaves are formed, which build on one another
- they embrace the stem
- Leaves are lighter colored in the lower part
- Shiny top and bottom
autumn crocus
A peculiarity that can be dangerous is the flowering time of the autumn crocus. This only starts in autumn and you must therefore pay particular attention to whether the underside of the leaf is shiny and whether the leaves emerge from a stem, otherwise it becomes extremely dangerous.