Leek, Wild

Information on Wild Leek

Common Name: Wild Leek
Scientific Name: Allium ampeloprasum var. ampeloprasum
Irish Name: Cainneann fhiáin
Family Group: Amaryllidaceae
Distribution: View Map (Courtesy of the BSBI)
Flowering Period


Click for list of all flowering by month
Wild Leek could sometimes be confused with:

Leek, Babington's,

Wild Leek is a most unusual plant. It is quite tall, standing as high as 1.75m at times. Tightly-packed, round clusters (5-10cm across) of dark-pink/mauve, bell-shaped, almost-closed flowers is borne at the top of robust, stout, blotched stems. These small flowers have yellow anthers on slightly protoruding stamens and they bloom from June to September. The leaves are long, glaucous, grass-like, keeled and tend to wither. This perennial plant is occasionally found in the South-east where it grows on roadside banks and in ditches. An introduction, it belongs to the Amaryllidaceae or Daffodil family. 

I first recorded and photographed Wild Leek near Carrig-on-Bannow, Co Wexford in 2007.  

If you are satisfied you have correctly identified this plant, please submit your sighting to the National Biodiversity Data Centre

‘Ampeloprasum’ , which is the species name, is derived from ‘ampelo’ and ‘prason’ which in Greek mean ‘vine’ and ‘leek’ as this species grows in vineyards. 

Leek, Wild
Leek, Wild
Leek, Wild
Leek, Wild