Botanical name: Nothoscordum borbonicum
Common Names
Wild Onion, False Garlic, Honey Bells
This is an upright herb to 105cm high with an underground bulb with many bulblets.
Leaves grow from the base and are linear, long, strap-like, smooth, mid to dark green and glossy.
Long cylindrical flower stalks grow from the centre of the plant. Flowers are bell-like, fragrant, in a small cluster at the tip of each stalk. Each flower has 7-pointed white to faint pink petals with pale green to brown markings along midvein. Flowers in spring to summer.
Fruit is a capsule, going from green to brown when mature. Seed is black.
This plant spreads by bulb and seed. If the plant is disturbed the bulblets break off easily and remain in the soil.
To control this plant cut off the flowers before going to seed.
SIMILAR SPECIES
Other onion or garlic plants may be confused with onion weed however they tend to have a strong onion-like or garlic-like odour when the leaves are crushed whereas onion weed has little or no odour.
SCENARIOS AND SOLUTIONS:
- In lawns: Apply Proforce Duke or spot spray/brush on Apparent Glyphosate.
- In garden beds: spot spray Apparent Glyphosate.
Reference: https://www.iewf.org/weedid/Nothoscordum_borbonicum.htm
