Status
Conservation status
Not Assessed
Legal status
Third Schedule listed species under Regulations 49 & 50 in the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011. (Note: Regulation 50 not yet enacted).
First reported in the wild
1890
Invasiveness
Invasive species - risk of Medium Impact
Irish status
Established
Introduction pathways - 1
Escape from Confinement
Introduction pathways subclass - 1
Horticulture
Invasive score
15
NAPRA Ireland risk assessed
Yes. This species underwent a Non-native species APplication based Risk Analysis in 2014.
Overall risk of this species to Ireland is categorised as: MODERATE with a MEDIUM level of confidence.
Overall conclusion summary:
View the full risk assessment: Allium triquetrum (Three-cornered Leek) (nonnativespecies.ie)Species Biology
Identification
Bulbous perennial herb, 40-60cm tall, all parts smell of garlic, green narrow and flat leaves, white flowers, flowers early in the year with plants dying back completely by June and July (Booy, et al. 2015).
Ecology
No impacts documented to date, can rapidly colonise and dominate waste ground outcompeting native vegetation (Booy et al., 2015).
Habitat
Regularly or recently cultivated agricultural, horticultural or domestic habitat; Constructed, industrial or other artificial habitats; Miscellaneous
Reproduction
Seed dispersed by ants (Preston et al., 2002).
Pathway and vector description
Common garden escape (Reynolds, 2002) and human dispersal is likely the major pathway of expansion in Ireland. Widely available in the horticulture trade.
Mechanism of impact
Competition
Broad environment
Terrestrial
Habitat description
Found along roadsides, field margins and other waster ground (Booy et al., 2015).
Species group
Plant
Native region
Europe
Distribution
World distribution(GBIF)
Irish distribution
Established - Widespread. More common in the south east than elsewhere, this may an artefact of recording effort or may be due to the less suitable climatic conditions in the rest of the country.
Native distribution
Native to Mediterranean Europe (Preston et al., 2002).
Temporal change
Date of first record category
Pre-1900
Records submitted to Data Centre in 2024
The following map is interactive. If you would prefer to view it full screen then click here.
How can you help
Report any sightings to the National Biodiversity Data Centre. Dispose of garden waste responsibly.
References
Publications
Reynolds, S.C.P. (2002) A catalogue of alien plants in Ireland. National Botanic Gardens. Glasnevin, Dublin. Stace, C. (1997). New Flora of the British Isles 2nd Edition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Preston, C.D., Pearman, D. A. & Dines, T. D. 2002. New atlas of the British and Irish flora. An atlas of the vascular plants of Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, Oxford University Press. Booy, O., Wade, M. & Roy, H. (2015) A Field Guide to Invasive Plants & Animals in Britain. Bloomsbury.