05/21/2026
The W**d Wire: Three-Cornered Garlic
History and Native Range: Allium triquetrum- commonly known as three-cornered garlic, three-cornered leek, snowbell, or onion w**d- is a bulb-producing, spring-flowering plant native to the Mediterranean basin. In its native range, three-cornered garlic is widely found in meadows, forest clearings, streambanks, and roadsides below 2,800 feet in elevation. It is a commonly cultivated plant due to its attractive flowers, ease of care, and edibility.
Identification: While three-cornered garlic bears a resemblance to a number of introduced ornamental plants, particularly the white-blooming variant of Spanish bluebell. A. triquetrum can be differentiated from similar white-blooming plants by the triangular cross-section of its stem, for which it is named, as well as the thin green stripes radiating from the center of its flowers. Additionally, all parts of the plant emit a characteristic garlic-y scent when crushed.
The Problem Here: Being a hardy, adaptable, fast-growing plant, three-cornered garlic has grown out of control in many areas where it has escaped cultivation. In some areas it may form dense monocultures which crowd out native groundcover species or wildflowers of similar size. Even in gardens where three-cornered garlic has been planted as a desired species, the plant may rapidly take over and drown out other ornamentals planted nearby. Three-cornered garlic can be very difficult to keep contained to intentionally planted areas, as one of the main dispersal mechanisms employed by the plant is to secrete a chemical which attracts ants to its seeds, gathering and transporting them to new locations.
An additional matter of concern to note is that, like all alliums, three-cornered garlic is toxic to dogs, cats, and livestock such as cows and horses if ingested.
Three-cornered garlic hasn’t been on the list of noxious w**d species frequently controlled by the Lincoln SWCD, in recent years populations around Lincoln County have reached concerning levels of growth, prompting discussion from local noxious w**d control specialists about beginning coordinated treatments of the species.
Photo By aaronliston, CC-BY-4.0
