+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| ## false garlic {#false-garlic .Title-Header}                         |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| *Nothoscordum bivalve* (L.) Britt.                                    |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Plant Symbol = NOBI2                                                  |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

Contributed by: USDA NRCS Nacagdoches (TX) Technical Office

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="2.7909722222222224in"
height="1.8541666666666667in"}

##### Alternate Names {#alternate-names .Header-3}

Crowpoison, *Allium bivalve*, crow-poison

##### Uses {#uses .Header-3}

It is grazed by livestock, but seldom represents a significant
percentage of diet due to low productivity.

##### Status {#status .Header-3}

This is considered rare or threatened in two Midwest states in 2005.
Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's current status (e.g. threatened or endangered
species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

##### Description and Adaptation {#description-and-adaptation .Header-3}

Lily Family (Liliaceae). False garlic is a cool season, native perennial
herb and is one of the first plants in Texas to emerge and flower during
the spring of the year. The leaves are very narrow (6 to 16 inches
long), while the flower stem is round. False garlic typically is from
5-22 inches in height. Flowers are white with a yellow base on the
inside, about 1 inch in diameter, and have 6 perianth parts (petals and
sepals). This species has two bracts that are located at the base of the
inflorescence. This "odorless" species is similar to most other plants
in the lily family in that it has a bulb. In the Great Plains, it
flowers from April to May.

It is very common in yards, parks, roadsides and pastures. Seldom is it
found in cropland fields, due to plowing. False garlic does not tolerate
ponded or saturated soils, nor is it commonly found in harsh dry
environments. Associated plants in Texas are henbit (*Lamium*
*amplexicaule*), chickweed (*Stellaria media*), buttercups (*Ranunculus*
spp.) and bedstraws *(Galium* spp.).

Other similar plants are native onions or garlics (*Allium* spp.), which
have a distinctive odor. Similar plants that do not have a distinctive
odor are some species of *Narcissus* (daffodils) and star-of-Bethlehem
(*Ornithogalum umbellatum*). Neither of these have the distinctive two
bracts at the base of the inflorescence.

##### Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin) {#cultivars-improved-and-selected-materials-and-area-of-origin .Header-3}

None known. Contact your local NRCS office for seed sources of this
species.

##### Prepared By:  {#prepared-by .Header-3}

Lee Davis, USDA NRCS Technical Office #2, Nacagdoches, Texas.

##### Species Coordinator:  {#species-coordinator .Header-3}

Lee Davis, USDA NRCS Technical Office #2, Nacagdoches, Texas.

##### Edited: 28sep05 jsp; 060802 jsp {#edited-28sep05-jsp-060802-jsp .Header-4}

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

*The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in
all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national
origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual
orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases
apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require
alternative means for communication of program information (Braille,
large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA\'s [TARGET
Center](http://www.usda.gov/oo/target.htm) at 202-720-2600 (voice and
TDD).*

*To file a complaint of discrimination write USDA, Director, Office of
Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence
Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice or
TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.*

*Read about [Civil Rights at the Natural Resources Convervation
Service](http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/about/civilrights/).*