1. Allium burdickii (Hanes) A. G. Jones (wild leek, ramps)

Pl. 100e; Map 396

A. tricoccum Aiton var. burdickii Hanes

Bulbs 1.5–4.0 cm long, narrowly ovoid, the outer coat a dense network of anastomosing, hairlike fibers. Aerial stems 12–18 cm long, not inflated, usually erect to the tip, sometimes appearing to lack chlorophyll. Leaves absent at flowering (produced early in the spring and withering by flowering time), basal, 14–28 cm long, (15–)20–40 mm wide, flat, narrowly elliptic, tapering to a petiole, the base pale green to white when fresh. Umbels with 6–22 flowers. Bulblets absent. Flower stalks much longer than the flowers. Perianth bell-shaped, the sepals and petals 3–5 mm long, ovate to obovate, the tips blunt to rounded, white. Fruits 3–5 mm long, depressed-globose, 3-lobed, each lobe usually with a pouchlike swelling near the middle. 2n=16. June.

Uncommon and widely scattered in Missouri (northeastern U.S. and adjacent Canada west to North Dakota and Missouri). Mesic bottomland and mesic upland forests, mostly on rich, north-facing lower slopes of ravines, valleys, and bluff bases, mostly on calcareous substrates.

The separation of this taxon from the closely related A. tricoccum remains somewhat controversial. Jones (1979), who studied these taxa, concluded that although the two sometimes grow in mixed populations, they are reproductively isolated, because A. burdickii flowers earlier than A. tricoccum. Morphologically, Jones (1979) and Jones and Shildneck (1980) characterized A. burdickii as having smaller bulbs, narrower leaves, shorter aerial stems, and fewer flowers than A. tricoccum. Additionally, the leaf bases of the former lack reddish purple coloration, and the developing inflorescences are mostly erect rather than somewhat nodding. However, some specimens are intermediate for one or more characters and are thus difficult to determine. Turner (1984) discussed the status of A. burdickii in Missouri.