Allium obliquum L. is a tertiary wild relative of a number of crops in the allium group, including onion (A. cepa L.), Welsh onion (A. fistulosum L.), leek (A. porrum L.), garlic (A. sativum L.) and chives (A. schoenoprasum L.).

European regional assessment: Data Deficient (DD)
EU 27 regional assessment: Data Deficient (DD)

Allium obliquum is regionally assessed as Data Deficient as there is currently insufficient information available to evaluate this species. It is listed as Critically Endangered in Romania and Endangered in Ukraine, and is threatened in some regions of Russia. Information about the overall population size, trend and potential threats is needed in order to re-evaluate this species.

Data used to inform the national Red List assessment in Romania were not available for this assessment; therefore, it is currently assessed as Data Deficient at EU 27 level.

A. obliquum is widespread in the southern Urals, southern Siberia, Kazakhstan, Middle Asia (Near-Balkhash area, Tien Shan, Saur, Tarbagataj), Mongolia and China. Its European range is represented by some disjunct isolated localities in Russia, Ukraine and Romania.

In European Russia, it occurs in Near-Ural and Volga-Kama natural regions (Bashkortostan Republic and Samaraskaja regions) in the southeast. In Ukraine, there is a single isolated occurrence in Podolian upland, on the left bank of the Smotrich river near Ustja village, Kamieniec-Podolski district, Chmelnitzka region (Omelczuk-Mjakushko 1979, Diduch 2009). In Romania, this species is only found at two localities: Cheile Furzii, at 400–500 m asl and on Paring Mountain at 1,900 m in the southern Carpathians (Ploaie 1990).

In Romania, the subpopulations are very small and isolated, and probably decreasing. The subpopulation on Paring mountain occupies an area of only 2 m². The single Ukrainian subpopulation comprises around 2,500 individuals with a population density of 2–5 individuals per 100 m². In Bashkortostan, the isolated subpopulations are restricted in area, but have a high population density.

It occurs in meadows, on wooded mountain slopes and banks of mountain rivers (Chukhina 2003–2009). In Romania it is found on calcareous, stony, steppe slopes (60–80 degrees) in forests. On Paring mountain it grows in the subalpine zone in the Pineta mugi community on crystalline rocks in the glaciated valley. At Bashkortostan it grows in steppe shrublands, in forest edges and in meadows.

In Ukraine it grows in calcareous steppe on sheltered slopes (450^o) in rendzina soil in the ecotope between the meadow steppe community Cirsio-Brachypodium pinnati and petrophilous community Sedo-Scleranthetea.

In Romania, the main threat was consumption of this plant by locals in the past. In Ukraine, the main threat is the species' narrow ecological tolerance and absent of suitable ecotopes.

It is sometimes harvested from the wild as a vegetable and as a source of vitamins and is "promising for domestication" (Chukhina 2003–2009). It is also a tertiary wild relative of and potential gene donor to a number of crops in the allium group, including onion (A. cepa), Welsh onion (A. fistulosum), leek (A. porrum), garlic (A. sativum) and chives (A. schoenoprasum).

In Romania, it is listed as Critically Endangered in the 2009 Red Data Book and is protected at national level. It is also included in the regional Red Data Books of Bashkortostan, Samarskaya and Orenburgskaya, Russia (Red Data Book Laboratory 2005) and is listed in the Red Data Book in Ukraine as Endangered (V. Melnyk pers. comm. 2010).

In Ukraine, it occurs in the Podilski Tovtry National Park, while in Bashkortostan it occurs in Bashkirskij national reserve and in Shulgan-Tach reserve and at two natural monuments. In Romania it occurs in Cheile Turzi reserve in Transilvania and has been proposed for protection on Paring Mountain.

All the European subpopulations require protection and active conservation managemernt.

EURISCO reports seven germplasm accessions of A. obliquum held in European genebanks, only one of which is reported to be of wild or weedy origin; however, this accession does not originate from within Europe (EURISCO Catalogue 2010). Collection and duplicated ex situ storage of germplasm from the European subpopulations is required.