Allium aaseae |
Allium cepa |
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Aase's onion, South Idaho onion |
cultivated onion, garden onion |
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Bulbs | 2–10+, not clustered on stout, primary rhizome, ovoid, 1–2 × 0.8–1.5 cm; outer coats enclosing 1 or more bulbs, brownish, membranous, with or without obscure reticulations, cells isodiametric or transversely elongate, ± contorted, without fibers; inner coats white, pink, or red, cells obscure, ± quadrate. |
1–3, not rhizomatous, mostly depressed-globose, varying in size from cultivar to cultivar, 5–8 × 3–10 cm; outer coats enclosing 1 or more bulbs, yellowish brown, red, or white, membranous, without reticulation; inner coats white to pink, cells obscure to quadrate. |
Leaves | usually deciduous with scape, green at anthesis, 2, basally sheathing, sheaths not extending much above soil surface; blade solid, flat to ± terete, channeled, 7–25 cm × 1–4 mm, margins entire or minutely denticulate. |
persistent, 4–10, sheathing proximal 1/6–1/4 scape; blade fistulose, usually ± semicircular in cross section, 10–50 cm × 4–20 mm. |
Scape | usually forming abcission layer and deciduous with leaves after seeds mature, frequently breaking at this level after pressing, solitary, erect, solid, slightly flattened, with or without narrow, sometimes crenulate-denticulate wings, 5–12 cm × 1–2 mm. |
persistent, solitary, erect, fistulose, inflated below middle, 30–100 cm × 3–20 mm. |
Umbel | persistent, erect, compact, 5–25-flowered, hemispheric, bulbils unknown; spathe bracts persistent, 2–3, 8–11-veined, ovate, ± equal, apex obtuse to acuminate. |
persistent, erect, compact, to 500-flowered, globose, bulbils occasionally found; spathe bracts caducous, 2–3, 3–4-veined, ovate, ± equal, apex acute to acuminate. |
Flowers | campanulate, 6–9 mm; tepals erect, bright pink fading to white with dark midribs, rarely white, oblong to lanceolate, ± equal, becoming papery in fruit, margins obscurely to distinctly serrulate-denticulate, apex obtuse to acuminate; stamens included; anthers yellow; pollen yellow; ovary crestless; style included, linear; stigma capitate, scarcely thickened, unlobed; pedicel 3–10 mm. |
stellate to campanulate to urceolate, 3–7 mm; tepals erect to ± spreading, white to pink with greenish midveins, withering in fruit, margins entire, apex obtuse or acute, outer ovate, inner oblong; stamens exserted; anthers white; pollen white; ovary crestless; style linear, ± equaling stamens; stigma capitate, unlobed; pedicel 10–50 mm. |
Seed | coat shining; cells smooth. |
coat not known. |
2n | = 14. |
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Allium aaseae |
Allium cepa |
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Phenology | Flowering Apr–May. | Flowering Jun–Aug. |
Habitat | Coarse, sandy soil and gravelly river benches | Disturbed sites adjacent to areas where cultivated |
Elevation | 800–1100 m (2600–3600 ft) | 0–500 m (0–1600 ft) |
Distribution |
ID
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AR; CA; KS; LA; MT; OR; TX; WA; cultivated in Europe; Asia
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Discussion | Allium aaseae is known only from Ada and southern Gem counties and Rebecca Sand Hill, Washington County, and is considered of conservation concern by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
The onion of commerce, Allium cepa is widely cultivated as a biennial in North America, Europe, and Asia. It is unknown in the wild and is probably derived from A. oschanini of central Asia. The cultivated form is often polyploid (2n = 16, 32, 54) and possibly of hybrid origin. It exists in numerous cultivars, a few of which form large bulbils in the umbel. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 26, p. 268. | FNA vol. 26, p. 244. |
Parent taxa | Liliaceae > Allium | Liliaceae > Allium |
Sibling taxa | ||
Name authority | Ownbey: Res. Stud. State Coll. Wash. 18: 19, fig. 18. (1950) | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 301. (1753) |
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