Allium campanulatum

Allium campanulatum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Amaryllidaceae
Subfamily:	Allioideae
Genus:	Allium
Species:	A. campanulatum
Binomial name
Allium campanulatum S.Wats.
Synonyms
Allium austinae Allium bidwelliae

Allium campanulatum is a species of wild onion known by the common name dusky onion or Sierra onion.

This is a flowering plant native to the western United States from Washington to Southern California, and east to Nevada. The dusky onion grows in foothills and mountains, especially in dry areas, such as chaparral habitats.

Description

The dusky onion, Allium campanulatum, grows from a gray-brown bulb one to two centimeters wide which may extend tiny rhizomes and produce small daughter bulblets. It rises on a stout stem and has usually two long, thin leaves that wither before the flowers bloom.

Atop the stem is an inflorescence of 10 to 50 flowers. Each flower is half a centimeter to one centimeter wide and is pink, purple, or less often white, and each tepal has a dark-colored base. The tepals are variable in shape, from narrow and very pointy to spade-shaped.

See also

• California chaparral and woodlands

External links

• Jepson Manual Treatment — Allium campanulatum
• USDA Plants Profile: Allium campanulatum (dusky onion)
• Allium campanulatum — U.C. Photo gallery