Jewel of Tibet or Allium Flower

Have you ever driven down the road and seen these long stemmed purple balls and wondered what they are? The allium flower or Jewel of Tibet are flower bulbs in the onion family. However, they smell sweeter and look so much prettier than onions.According to alliumflower.net, “Prized for its beauty and non-onion aroma fragrance, the allium flower isused in many perfumes and cosmetics products throughout the world. The ancient native Indians of Peru use this flower for medicinal as well as religious purposes and it was seen as one of the most import plant species of the Mayan culture.”

My father-n-law had a strange sense of humor and fooled many people in our town. After the pretty purple of the petals would fade, he took spray paint and painted them. He would use whatever paint he had on hand, colors like orange, red, yellow or even lime green.  People would think the Jewel of Tibet grew purple and changed its color. He then in the fall, when they dug the bulbs, up would stick those painted dead stems back in the ground. Try fooling your neighbors; paint your Jewel of Tibet your favorite color.

This post linked to Macro  Flower Saturday