Current authoritative taxonomic treatment calls this Allium macleanii var. elatum. In a private garden in Glencoe from which the Chicago Botanic Garden's plants came, the scapes were 60 inches (250 cm) tall; the leaves were 30 inches (76 cm) long and 4 inches (10 cm) wide at their widest point. The flowers are very attractive to insect pollinators, and within a few days the colorful florets lose their beauty. They are replaced by hundreds of seed capsules. In their native central Asia, the large bulbs of 4 or more cloves, plus the occasional corm, are pickled.