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Bulbous perennial of the Amaryllidaceae family, native to almost all of temperate Europe and much of western Asia, bear's garlic is a plant of cool and damp woodlands, riparian forests, and alluvial forests, where it can form dense carpets covering entire hectares.
Its large oval-lanceolate leaves, of a tender and shiny green, with a strong garlic odor, emerge at the end of winter and cover the forest floor before the canopy closes — a classic strategy of woodland geophytes. In April-May, it produces flat umbels of delicate white stars, very nectariferous, borne on triangular stems 20-40 cm high. The leaves, flowers, and bulbs are edible; fresh leaves are widely used in spring cuisine.
In the garden, it naturalizes easily in cool and damp woodlands, with rich and loose soil. It is incompatible with dry or sunny situations. Beware of possible confusion of its leaves with those of lily of the valley or arum, which are toxic: the unmistakable garlic odor with the slightest pressure on the blade is the infallible distinguishing criterion.