In spring, fresh wild garlic from the nearby forest or from your own garden is an important seasonal spice in many European households. If you are unsure about the exact difference between wild garlic and similar-looking plants, it can be dangerous.

Wild garlic and lily of the valley are confusingly similar

Recognize wild garlic by its appearance and smell

The leaves and flowers of wild garlic reach a height of about 20 to 50 centimeters and grow out of a long bulb in the ground when the snow melts in March. The fresh green leaves are tapered at the ends and have a longitudinal grain. In May, the white flowers of the wild garlic appear, grouped into round balls, so that entire clearings in the forest are often transformed into a green and white carpet of wild garlic. You can recognize the wild garlic relatively clearly if you crush the leaf and rub it between your fingers. Wild garlic gives off a smell that is strikingly reminiscent of garlic. There is a risk of confusing wild garlic with poisonous neighbors in the form of:

  • lily of the valley
  • autumn crocus
  • younger, unspotted specimens of the spotted aroid

The difference between wild garlic and lily of the valley

Visually, the leaves of lily of the valley and wild garlic differed only slightly. Precise identification would be easier when both plants are in bloom in May, but wild garlic is usually harvested before the wild garlic blooms due to its even more aromatic taste. The risk of confusion can only be minimized by smelling the leaves. If you rub several leaves in succession between your fingers to determine the plant species, you should wash your hands well in between. Otherwise, you could still confuse the two species if you perceive the smell of garlic on your hands from a previous sample with wild garlic as belonging to the current sample when you sample lily of the valley.

Autumn crocus and wild garlic in comparison

The leaves of autumn crocuses that sprout in spring also look deceptively similar to those of wild garlic and can sometimes grow close to each other. In order to distinguish the highly poisonous autumn crocus from the tasty wild garlic, a smell test of the crushed leaves is necessary. While the wild garlic smells strongly of garlic, the leaf of the autumn crocus is almost odorless. Since both plant species can also grow in mixed stocks, even experienced wild garlic collectors should be very careful when looking for them.

The spotted aroid

It would also be fatal to confuse wild garlic with the young leaves of the spotted arum, as eating it can lead to fatal poisoning. However, even young leaves of the aroid, which do not yet have the characteristic arrow shape, can be visually distinguished from wild garlic. Their leaf veins do not run in the longitudinal direction like in wild garlic, but in irregular directions and do not have parallel nerves.

tips

If in doubt, inexperienced herb collectors should stay away from wild garlic. Wild garlic from your own plantation or from the retailer largely eliminates the risk of confusion.

Category:

Herbs