This variable weedy or cultivated species ("wild leek" or "elephant garlic") is widely scattered across southeastern states (FNA 26, K, W); the cultivated leek, originally known as A. porrum L., is now considered to be a cultivar of ampeloprasum. Probably all wild records from Ky. are for the typical var. ampeloprasum, with relatively small umbels (superficially similar to A. mutabile). There is a likely cultivated coll. of var. atroviolaceum (Boiss.) Regel from JEFF (DHL). Distinction from sativum can be difficult, depending on season and completeness of material. Based on Clapham et al. (1962), as well as above sources (which are somewhat inconsistent), ampeloprasum appears to differ as follows: bulbs 1-3+, with yellowish to light brown outer coat (versus 5-15, white to light brown); scapes mostly 0.5-1.8 m tall (versus 0.3-1 m), with up to 500+ flowers or much fewer in variants with bulbils (versus up 20 flowers, these usually aborted and mixed with bulbils); scape bract with 1-5 valves, caducous or persistent (versus 1 valve, caducous), the pedicels 15-50+ mm long (versus 10-20 mm); tepals white, pink or purplish (versus greenish white to pink), unequal, the inner one narrowly ovate to spathulate (versus subequal, the inner one ovate-lanceolate); stamens slightly exserted (versus included), lateral points of [the 3-pointed] inner filaments much longer than the antheriferous one (versus subequal); 2n = 32 or 48 (versus 16). More research is needed into the taxonomy of varied cutivars within each species, together with related wild species; the name "ampeloprasum" has often been used in an excessively broad polyphyletic sense (Hirschegger et al. 2010).