# Three-cornered garlic (*Allium triquetrum*) Three-cornered garlic is a lovely plant with green, triangular leaves and white flowers. It grows in gardens and wild places, bringing a nice smell to the air when you touch it! - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 1 - **Habitat:** Urban areas - **Also known as:** Three-cornered Leek ![Three-cornered garlic](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Allium_triquetrum01.jpg&width=800) Photo: Meneerke bloem, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Allium_triquetrum01.jpg) ## Appearance The Three-cornered garlic is a slender plant with distinctive triangular stems and long, glossy, strap-like leaves. Its bell-shaped white flowers hang in loose clusters, each petal marked with a delicate green stripe, making it easily recognizable. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Liliopsida - **Order:** Asparagales - **Family:** Amaryllidaceae - **Genus:** Allium ## Interesting facts - Crush a leaf, and you'll smell a strong garlic scent, a perfect plant identifier! - In some regions, it forms dense green carpets, covering whole hillsides and forest floors! - Its stems are shaped like a perfect triangle, giving it its "three-cornered" name! - Originating in Europe, this speedy plant now grows wild on nearly every continent! ## Special abilities - **Ant Taxi Service:** Three-cornered garlic has special fatty bits on its seeds that attract ants, helping them carry and spread the seeds far away. - **Bulbil Bombs:** This plant can grow tiny mini-bulbs in its flower heads, which drop off to start new plants, allowing it to spread super fast. - **Triangle Power Stems:** Its unique three-sided stems are extra strong and flexible, helping the plant stand tall even in windy or crowded spots. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 20-60 cm - **Flower Size:** 1-1.5 cm - **Bloom Season:** Late winter to late spring - **Edible:** Yes - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** European honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — collects nectar and pollen - **Symbiotic with:** [Black garden ant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-garden-ant) (*Lasius niger*) — disperses seeds for a fatty reward - **Eaten by:** [Garden snail](https://www.snappit.app/explore/garden-snail) (*Helix aspersa*) — young leaves and stems provide food ## Traits - [Aromatic](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/aromatic): Aromatic plants produce and emit fragrant volatile organic compounds, often for defense or to attract pollinators. - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Spring Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spring-blooming): Spring blooming plants produce their flowers during the spring season, often signifying the end of winter and the start of new growth. - [Fragrant Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fragrant-flower): Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense. - [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. - [Rapid Growing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/rapid-growing): Rapid growing plants exhibit accelerated growth rates, quickly increasing in size and biomass within a short period. - [Spice](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spice): This human use trait indicates species from which spices are derived, used for flavoring, preserving food, or as aromatic agents. - [Urban Friendly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/urban-friendly): This habitat trait indicates species that can coexist with humans in urban and suburban environments, utilizing man-made structures and green spaces. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always ask an adult before touching or picking any plants. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Three-cornered garlic? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is Three-cornered garlic? 20-60 cm ### How big are the flowers on Three-cornered garlic? 1-1.5 cm ### When does Three-cornered garlic bloom? Late winter to late spring ### Is Three-cornered garlic edible? Yes ### Is Three-cornered garlic toxic? None ### What is Three-cornered garlic's lifecycle? Perennial ### How is Three-cornered garlic pollinated? Insect ## Where to spot - [Sequoia Park Zoo](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/sequoia-park-zoo) — California, US · Zoo ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Three-cornered garlic: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/three-cornered-garlic)