Abstract
It is now well recognized that many invasive plants have escaped from gardens and landscapes where they were originally planted for ornamental purposes. Angled onion, Allium triquetrum L. (Amaryllidaceae) is another example of such an escapee. This bulb‐forming herbaceous perennial plant, native to the west and central Mediterranean, is now widespread and invasive in different parts of the world. In Australia, the weed is declared noxious in southern parts of the country and its uncontrolled spread threatens biodiversity in natural environments. In addition, A. triquetrum is also problematic in agriculture, causing milk and meat taint with strong onion odour. Because of the lack of effective control methods, a classical biological control approach has been initiated by CSIRO and Montpellier SupAgro (France). The first phase of the program includes native range surveys for characterizing the natural enemies community (arthropods and fungi) associated with the target plant, which seems to be poorly understood across its native range. Here, we summarize the relevant information from a biological control perspective based on literature review and present the results of the first field surveys carried out in the native range.