[4] Plants typically produce a cluster of 2–6 bulbs that give rise to broad,[5] flat, smooth, light green leaves, that are 20–30 cm (8–12 in) long including the narrow petioles,[4] often with deep purple or burgundy tints on the lower stems.

[5][8] Allium tricoccum was first named as such in 1789 by the Scottish botanist William Aiton, in Hortus Kewensis, a catalog of plants cultivated in London's Kew botanic garden.

tricoccum is found in woods with rich soils with moist ground in depressions, and along streamside bluffs, and on colluvial slopes.

[22] However, the law does not always stop poachers, who find a ready market across the border in Ontario (especially in the Ottawa area), where ramps may be legally harvested and sold.

[23] Ramps are considered a species of "special concern" for conservation in Maine, Rhode Island, and commercially exploited in Tennessee.

[26][27][28] The plant's flavor, a combination of onions and strong garlic,[29][30][31] is adaptable to numerous cooking styles.

[41] The city Chicago received its name from a dense growth of ramps near Lake Michigan in Illinois Country observed in the 17th century.

The Chicago River was referred to by the plant's indigenous name, according to explorer Robert Cavelier, sieur de La Salle, and by his comrade, the naturalist and diarist Henri Joutel.

Jim Comstock, editor and co-owner of the Richwood News Leader, introduced ramp juice into the printer's ink of one issue as a practical joke,[45] invoking the ire of the U.S. Postmaster General.

[46] The inhabitants of Appalachia have long celebrated spring with the arrival of the ramp, believing it to be a tonic capable of warding off many winter ailments.

Indeed, ramp's vitamin and mineral content did bolster the health of people who went without many green vegetables during the winter.

[47] According to West Virginia University botanist Earl L. Core, the widespread use in southern Appalachia of the term "ramps" (as opposed to "wild leek" which is used in some other parts of the United States) derives from Old English: The name ramps (usually plural) is one of the many dialectical variants of the English word ramson, a common name of the European bear leek (Allium ursinum), a broad-leaved species of garlic much cultivated and eaten in salads, a plant related to our American species.

[48] The city of Elkins, West Virginia, hosts the "Ramps and Rails Festival" during the last weekend in April of each year.

The festival has played host to as many as 30,000 visitors in years past, has been attended by ex-President Harry Truman, and has featured such notable musical acts as Tennessee Ernie Ford, Eddy Arnold, Roy Acuff, Bill Monroe, Minnie Pearl, and Brenda Lee.

The festival features a wide variety of ramp-inspired foods, and includes music from an assortment of Appalachian groups.

[52] An annual ramp convention in Haywood County, North Carolina, has drawn as many as 4,000 participants a year since its inception circa 1925.

[53] The community of Huntington, West Virginia, holds an annual ramp festival referred to as Stink Fest.

[citation needed] The Mason-Dixon Historical Park in Core, West Virginia offers a Ramp Dinner and Wildflower Walk each spring.