Edible plant - novice Season - late autumn to late spring Common names Three-cornered leek, wild leek, three-cornered garlic, onion weed, triquetrous leek, angled onion, snowbell
Scientific name meaning: Allium is the Latin word for garlic, although its original derivation is unclear. The species name also has Latin roots. It comes from Triquetrus, meaning having three corners or being triangular
Habitat  Three-cornered leek can be found in dappled shade, grass verges, waste ground and gardens. It is a native of southern Europe and has naturalised in the UK. It is a non-native invasive and listed on Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act. It is therefore an offence to introduce this plant to the wild in the UK. |
Overall structure  Usually found in large drifts containing many hundreds of plants. Each plant forms from a bulb and produces a few long thin leaves, which tend to arch over to the ground. These are flowered by flowers stalks to 50cm tall with umbels of white bell-shaped flowers. |
Leaves  The long thing leaves are dark green and have parallel veins. The midrib is formed into an exaggerated keel. When crushed, the leaves smell of chives. |
Stem  The flower stalks emerge in springtime and have very angled stems – having three corners. The cross section is triangular with a central circular hollow. They are leafless, can reach 50cm tall and smell of chives when crushed. |
Flowers  The flowers are arranged on an umbel with flaccid rays, causing the individual flowers to drop down. Each flower is white and bell-shaped, and resembles the flowers of snowdrops or white bluebells. The flower petals have a marked green vein running from base to tip. |
Seeds  The seeds, which ripen to black, appear in a three-sectioned fruit from late spring. |
Possible lookalikes  Bluebells (Hyacinthoides spp) and snowdrops (Galanthus spp), pictured, could be easily confused with three-cornered leek. Both are poisonous, however, neither of these smell of garlic/onion/chives, bluebells also lack any green on the petals. Could also be confused with few-flowered garlic, which lacks the green vein on its flowers. It is also edible.
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Use as a food All parts of three-cornered leek are edible so it has a lot of uses in food. However, digging up of the bulb requires the landowner's permission.
The leaves have a garlic/onion flavour and can be eaten raw or cooked. They can be used raw in salads or pesto, or fermented. They can be cooked but it is best to cook them for as little time as possible as they lose their delicate flavour quickly.
The flower stalks, buds and flowers have a stronger flavour and can be used raw or cooked. Good uses include pickling and adding to salads, where they are as decorative as they are tasty.
The young seeds can be used green to pack a garlicky punch to a salad or warm dish, or to make capers with. When the seeds ripen, they can be ground using a spice mill for use as seasoning Use in herbal medicine and medicine Although not having as strong an action, three-cornered leek has similar health benefits to domestic garlic (Allium sativum). It is used for general health promotion, reducing high blood pressure and reducing blood cholesterol
If you are suffering from any ailment or need medical advice, please see your General Practitioner.
Hazards Can be toxic in excessively large amounts. It is worth remembering that to companion animals, such as dogs and cats, three-cornered leek can be fatal if consumed
Other uses None known Importance to other species The flowers are visited by various pollinators but it is a non-native invasive so its removal will have a beneficial impact on native flora and fauna. Even so, landowner's permission is still required to dig it up or remove bulbs
Always stay safe when foraging. You need to be 100% sure of your identification, 100% sure that your foraged item is edible, and 100% sure that you are not allergic to it (it is good practice to always try a small amount of any new food you are consuming). If in doubt, leave it out!
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