Description of the onion-garlic variety Suvorovsky (Anzur), its characteristics

Suvorov's onion (Allium suworowii) belongs to a group of plants whose homeland is considered to be the mountainous regions of Central Asia. The peculiarity of the plant is a short growing season, a tall peduncle with a spherical bud of bright purple color, and an unusual garlicky taste of the leaves and bulbs. Onion garlic is traditionally used as a seasoning and as a medicine. It is planted in garden plots as an ornamental plant.

Biological features

Suvorov onion is a type of garlic that is part of the onion family.Several similar species are united by the common name Anzur, which local residents have used to call wild plants since ancient times. The mountainous regions of the Pamir-Altai, Tien Shan, and Syrdarya Gorge are considered the birthplace of Suvorov's onion.

The distinctive characteristics of the plant are formed by its natural growing environment. High mountain areas are characterized by harsh winters with thaws and hot summers with sharp temperature changes at night and during the day. Favorable conditions for growth occur during the short period from the moment the snow cover melts until the onset of summer heat:

1. Anzurs manage to grow and form seeds in a short period of 2–3 months.
2. The plants have a well-developed root system, adapted to rocky soil conditions.
3. A tall peduncle and a bright spherical bud with a diameter of 6–8 cm, which is an excellent honey plant.
4. The active growth process begins already at an air temperature of 2–5 degrees and the soil at a depth of 10 cm warms up to positive values ​​of 1–4 degrees.
5. Garlic is characterized by a rapid change of growth phases, and with the onset of a dry period it enters the stage of intra-bulb development.

High-mountain garlics tolerate winter cold, hot dry periods well, and are shade-tolerant. Plants are flexible, adapt well to new conditions, and are not damaged by diseases and pests. The biggest problem for Anzurs is acidic and waterlogged soils, and standing water can completely destroy garlic.

Description of the plant

Anzura's bows are similar to each other, but slight differences still exist:

• The Suvorov bow, unlike most Anzurov bows, has a spherical bulb with a diameter of 6–8 cm.
• The covering shell is leathery, grayish in color, and firmly grips the base of the stem.
• The leaves are narrow and 5–8 cm wide, rough along the edges, green with a bluish bloom, 40–50 cm high.
• The peduncle reaches a height of 1–1.3 m. The umbel of the inflorescence is multi-flowered (from 100 to 300 flowers), very dense, has the shape of a ball with a diameter of 7–12 cm.
• Lily-type flowers with a blunt tip and a length of about 4 mm are colored purple.
• the fruit looks like an ovoid capsule with black, triangular-shaped seeds.

Onions grow as a bush, forming a powerful rosette of leaves. Like all high-mountain onions, Suvorov garlic is an ephemeral plant, with a very short growing season and a long dormant time. In this it is similar to tulips and daffodils. Even externally, at the initial stage, the plant is very similar to tulip seedlings. As the mountain onion grows, it changes and becomes more and more like a giant garlic.

Important! Ephemeroid species of mountain onions, with a very short growing season, are listed in the Red Book of Uzbekistan, due to the danger of complete extinction.

The value of Suvorov's bow

Onions were cultivated for their nutritional and medicinal properties, as well as as an ornamental plant. Value:

1. Mountain onion plants are distinguished by a high content of vitamins, microelements, and phytoncides. Young foliage, which appears literally from under the snow in spring, is used for food. The leaves are used as a vitamin supplement in salads, side dishes, and pie fillings. To create reserves, they are frozen in the refrigerator.
2. The use of bulbs is practiced only after soaking in a 5% saline solution. This preparation is necessary to remove the smell of essential oils and soften the too strong taste, reminiscent of radish.Garlic heads are pickled, baked with honey, boiled in milk, and canned.
3. The medicinal properties of Anzurov bows were discussed in the medieval treatises “On the Preservation of Health.” Mountain garlic was used to treat colds, ear diseases, respiratory catarrh, and scurvy. It was believed that the unique composition of the plant could improve vision, memory, and brain function. With the help of Anzurs, they strengthened the stomach, dissolved gallstones, and treated impotence.
4. Nowadays, it is recognized that Anzurs included in the diet stimulate the formation of nonspecific immunity and improve metabolism. Garlic is successfully used as a tonic and prophylactic, equating its effectiveness to the effect of ginseng.
5. The flowering plant looks very impressive in flower beds and alpine gardens as an unusual primrose.

Until recently, high-quality canned food was produced on an industrial scale from Anzurov bulbs. Unlimited harvesting of bulbs has led to the destruction of natural reserves. As a result, collecting ephemeral onion species in the mountains is prohibited. Some plants, including Suvorov's onion, are listed as protected species in the Red Book of Uzbekistan.

Important! Anzura bows, which include the Suvorov bow, are easy to introduce. They adapt well to new agroclimatic conditions.

How to grow Suvorov's onion?

Anzur garlic onions adapt well to new conditions. Plants are cultivated with equal success in central Russia, Kuban and Siberia. The rules for caring for plants are very similar to the agricultural practices of tulips or winter varieties of garlic:

1. In areas with a temperate climate, plants with a traditionally short growing season practically do not colonize the surrounding area. Anzurs can be planted in thickened plantings, up to 40–50 medium-sized bulbs per square meter. meter.
2. Plants are light-loving and are not adapted to waterlogged soil. Therefore, they select a well-lit area on a hill that will not be subject to flooding even for a short period of time.
3. Bulbs are planted in early September so that the plants have time to take root before frost sets in. The heads are placed in furrows to a depth of 12–25 cm, depending on the size. Care consists of weeding and loosening the soil.
4. Garlic sprouts literally from under the snow in the spring. Flowering occurs in May or early June. By July, the seeds ripen, the leaves dry out, and the plant enters the bulbous stage of development.
5. Drying of the feather is a signal to dig up the bulbs. They are dried and stored at room temperature until autumn.
6. You can dig up heads of Suvorov garlic once every 2-3 years. At the same time, the nest enlarges and contains a set of large and medium-sized bulbs, as well as small nodules.
7. If it is desirable to obtain large heads of garlic, then the flower stalks are removed immediately after flowering; in this case, the plant will not produce seeds. The seeds can be used for propagation, but it will take a cycle of four years to produce large bulbs.
8. When using the tops for food, you should not completely cut off the leaves. In this case, the bulb will not receive enough nutrition, which is provided by the outflow of substances from the leaves to the storage organs. This will also affect full flowering.

The widespread distribution of most Anzurov onions, and, in particular, Suvorov's garlic, is hampered by difficulties.They are associated with a long period of propagation and production of bulbs capable of flowering. Abroad, decorative types of onions have long been cultivated and are present in company catalogs as plants for forcing flowers. We have officially registered the Suvorov onion variety “Samson”, but this valuable plant is still exotic in gardens and household plots.