As of: March 6, 2024, 2:30 p.m
By: Ines Alms
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The wild garlic harvest begins in March.
But the herb has poisonous counterparts, the lily of the valley and the autumn crocus.
An overview of what you should pay attention to.
With its delicate garlic aroma, the wild herb wild garlic, like asparagus, is a highlight in spring cuisine for many, for example as wild garlic pesto.
The wild garlic season lasts from March to May.
And that's exactly where the intersections begin with the lily of the valley, whose leaves look very similar to wild garlic, at least at first glance.
However, accidental consumption of these leads to nausea and vomiting, and larger quantities can cause cardiac arrhythmias.
Eating the highly poisonous autumn crocus can have even more dramatic, potentially fatal consequences.
Before picking herbs again, you should take a closer look.
Distinguish wild garlic from its poisonous counterparts
Wild garlic, lily of the valley and autumn crocus have similar oval leaves that differ in smell.
Autumn crocus leaves are more like lancets.
© Manfred Ruckszio/Imago
Both the edible wild garlic (Allium ursinum) and its poisonous counterparts, the lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) and the autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale), have very similar oval leaves.
While lily of the valley and wild garlic are more likely to be found in forests, autumn crocus grows primarily in meadows.
To distinguish the three plants from each other, the following table provides an overview:
Wild garlic |
lily of the valley |
Autumn crocus |
|
|---|---|---|---|
Smell of leaves when crushed |
garlicky |
no smell of garlic |
no smell of garlic |
leaves |
Underside of leaf matt |
Underside of leaf shiny |
both sides shiny |
stalk |
1 leaf from a stem |
2-3 leaves from one stem |
Leaves without stems growing from rosettes |
blossom |
white, star-shaped flowers, strong smell of garlic |
white, bell-shaped |
light pink (from September) |
You can find even more exciting garden topics in the regular newsletter from our partner 24garten.de.
The smell test is very reliable the first time.
However, once you have the smell of garlic on your fingers and in your nose, the doppelgangers can no longer be easily identified.
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If in doubt, contact the poison control center
If you are unsure, you can contact the nearest poison control center to assess the risk.
Anyone who has symptoms despite taking all the care should immediately call the emergency services (emergency number 112) if they have noticeable symptoms such as repeated vomiting, circulatory disorders and/or impaired consciousness.
If you want to reduce the risk of confusion even further, you can grow wild garlic yourself in your own garden or plant it in a pot - March is a good time to plant.