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LEEK
Allium porrum L., family Amaryllidaceae

Leek, the national flower of Wales (Patton 1968) (see "Onion"), is another minor crop. Only a few acres are devoted to seed production.

Plant:

The leaves of the biennial leek are flat, solid (pithy), and thick. The bulb is only slightly swollen, giving the stem and bulb a tubular appearance. 'Large American Flag' is the most popular cultivar (Knott 1949, Patton 1968). The growing of leek seed is well suited to the mild climate of Vancouver Island, British Columbia (Adamson 1960). It is mild in flavor and is used both raw and cooked, similar to onions.

Inflorescence:

The seedstalk is 3 to 4 feet tall, terminated by a single umber to 41/2 inches across, and contains several thousand bell-shaped florets (Hawthorn and Pollard 1954*). The flowers are protandrous, the inner three anthers dehiscing first, then the outer ones, after which the style elongates and the stigma becomes receptive (Knuth 1909, p. 445).

Pollination Requirements:

Apparently similar to onions.

Pollinators:

Honey bees, bumble bees, "bees," flies, and "insects chiefly" have been mentioned as pollinators (Hawthorn and Pollard 1954*, Jones and Rosa 1928*, Minderhoud 1951, Sanduleac 1961). Sanduleac (1961) stated that bees increased the seed crop 8 to 10 times.

Pollination Recommendations and Practices:

None.

LITERATURE CITED:

ADAMSON, R. M.
1960. THE EFFECT OF GERMINATION OF DRYING LEEK SEED HEADS AT DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES. Canad. Jour. Plant Sci. 40(4): 666-671.

KNOTT, J. E.
1949. VEGETABLE GROWING. 314 pp. Lea and Eebiger, Philadelphia.

MINDERHOUD, A.
1951. [THE "FIXATION AREAS" OF INSECTS IN RELATION TO PLANT BREEDING.] Tuinbouw Meded. 14: 61 - 70. [In Dutch, English summary. ]

PATTON, I. E.
1968. PLANT LEEKS - THEY'RE DEPENDABLE. Organic Gard. Farming 15(1): 110-111.

SANDUBEAC, E.
1961. [THE POLLINATION OF VEGETABLE SEED PLANTS.] Apicultura 14: 25 - 26. [In Romanian, English summary.]

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