Allium neapolitanum, Allium pallens,
Naples Garlic, False Garlic, Flowering onion,
Hebrew: שום משולש, Arabic: ثوم نابولي

Scientific name:		Allium neapolitanum Cirillo
Synonym name:		Allium pallens L.
Common name:		Naples Garlic, False Garlic, Flowering onion
Hebrew name:		שום משולש
Arabic name:		ثوم نابولي
Family:		Amaryllidaceae, נרקיסיים
Subfamily:		Allioideae (formerly treated as a separate family, Alliaceae)
Tribe:		Allieae (comprises a single genus, Allium)
Genus:		Allium, שום

Life form:		Geophyte
Stems:		Triangular in cross-sectioned and it reaches a height of up to 30 centimeters
Leaves:		Alternate, rosette, entire
Inflorescence:		Umbel fastigate, with 5-30 flowers; pedicels 15-35mm
Flowers:		White, perianth cup-shaped or stellate; hermaphrodite, pollinated by bees, insects
Fruits / pods:		Capsule 4-5mm (it can self-sow to the point of nuisance)
Flowering Period:		March, April
Habitat:		Mediterranean maquis and forest
Distribution:		Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Semi-steppe shrublands, Shrub-steppes, Deserts and extreme deserts
Chorotype:		Mediterranean
Summer shedding:		Ephemeral

Derivation of the botanical name: Allium, onion, chive and garlic. From the classical Latin name for garlic. neapolitanum, from Naples. The Hebrew word: שום, shum, Akkadian: sumu; Aramaic: Thomas; שום, אכדית: sumu; ארמית: תומא The standard author abbreviation Cirillo is used to indicate Domenico Cirillo (1739 – 1799), an Italian physician. The standard author abbreviation L. is used to indicate Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, the father of modern taxonomy. In Israel Allium species bloom from the end of the winter to the summer, and the first to flower is Allium neapolitanum (from the end of February until March on the Coastal Plain).