General Information
The wild Ramp, AKA wild leek, botanical name Allium tricoccum, is a flowering perennial plant that grows in clusters. It is a member of the Allium family along with onions and leeks. All Alliums have underground bulbs which may produce aerial stems and each plant will bear flowers in various colors depending on species. It is one of the most important food plant families, containing at least 700 different species, though only a small percentage of the alliums are cultivated as a crop on an economically important scale.
History
Ramps are native to North America, growing wild in deciduous forests of upland Southestern and Northern United States west to the Dakotas as well Quebec, Canada. They can be found in cool, shady areas with damp, rich soil high in organic matter. New leaves emerge from the perennial bulb in early spring. By late May, the Ramp leaves begin to die back and an umbrella shaped flower stalk emerges. The flower blooms in June and the seeds mature atop a leafless stalk. If the plant is left to continue its lifecycle, its seeds will fall into the soil to germinate a new season of Ramps. Cultivation of Ramps is possible, though it would have to be done in a forest setting replicating the environment in which a wild Ramp lives. However, wild Ramps are not widely cultivated on a commercial scale. Ramps are an important part of the ecological system of a forest and sustainable harvesting methods are being enforced to protect the plant’s future as well as the future of forest environments.
