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Hooker's onion, taper-tip onion

field garlic

Bulbs

1–12+, not basally clustered, not forming rhizomes, ovoid to ± globose, 0.8–1.6 × 0.9–1.6 cm;

outer coats enclosing 1 or more renewal bulbs, ± yellow-brown, prominently cellular-reticulate, membranous, cells square or polygonal, walls thick, obscurely sinuous, without fibers;

inner coats white, cells obscure, ± quadrate.

1 or more, not attached to rhizome, ovoid, 1.2–2 × 1–1.5 cm;

outer coats enclosing bulbs, brown to grayish brown, fibrous, fibers close, ± parallel;

inner coats white to light brown, not cellular.

Leaves

persistent, withering from tip by anthesis, 2–3, basally sheathing, sheaths not extending much above soil surface;

blade solid, subterete or ± channeled, 7–30 cm × 1–3 mm, margins entire.

withering from tip by anthesis, 2–4, sheathing proximal 1/2+ scape;

blade fistulose proximally, solid distally, terete, linear to filiform, prominently ribbed proximally, channeled distally, 1.5–2.5 cm × 0.5–5 mm, margins and veins usually scabrid with minute teeth, apex acute.

Scape

persistent, solitary, erect, solid, terete, 10–35 cm × 1–3 mm.

persistent, solitary, erect, terete, 25–100 cm × 4–8 mm.

Umbel

persistent, erect, loose, 10–40-flowered, hemispheric, bulbils unknown;

spathe bracts persistent, 2, 3–7-veined, lanceolate to ovate, ± equal, apex acuminate.

persistent, erect, compact to ± loose, 0–40-flowered, subglobose, with few to many bulbils or with bulbils only;

spathe bracts persistent, 2, 4–9-veined, lanceolate, unequal, apex acuminate into beak, beak long, slender, to 20 cm, ± equaling or longer than base.

Flowers

campanulate, 8–15 mm;

tepals erect, pink to rose-purple, or white, lanceolate to lance-ovate, unequal, becoming rigid and keeled in fruit, margins finely denticulate (inner tepal more prominently so), apex acuminate, outer tepal longer and wider than inner, spreading to recurved at tip, inner tepal with strongly recurved tips;

stamens included;

anthers yellow;

pollen yellow;

ovary crested;

processes 3, central, 2-lobed, rounded, minute, margins entire;

style linear, equaling stamens;

stigma capitate, scarcely thickened, obscurely 3-lobed;

pedicel 6–25 mm.

usually aborting before capsules mature, if present, campanulate, 6–8 mm;

tepals erect, whitish or pinkish to purple, outer narrowly obovate, inner ± elliptic, unequal, margins entire, apex obtuse;

stamens included;

anthers yellow to reddish;

pollen yellow;

ovary crestless;

style linear, equaling stamens;

stigma capitate, unlobed;

pedicel 15–60 mm.

Seed

coat dull or shining;

cells minutely roughened.

coat unknown;

capsules only rarely produced.

2n

= 14.

Allium acuminatum

Allium oleraceum

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jul. Flowering late Jul–Aug.
Habitat Dry slopes and plains Roadsides and other disturbed ground
Elevation 100–1500 m (300–4900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; ID; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
Europe [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Allium oleraceum is reported from New England, where it is sometimes found on roadsides and other disturbed ground. It persists and is spread easily by the bulbils.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 26, p. 261. FNA vol. 26, p. 238.
Parent taxa Liliaceae > Allium Liliaceae > Allium
Sibling taxa
A. aaseae, A. abramsii, A. ampeloprasum, A. amplectens, A. anceps, A. atrorubens, A. bigelovii, A. bisceptrum, A. bolanderi, A. brandegeei, A. brevistylum, A. burlewii, A. campanulatum, A. canadense, A. cepa, A. cernuum, A. columbianum, A. constrictum, A. coryi, A. cratericola, A. crenulatum, A. crispum, A. cuthbertii, A. denticulatum, A. diabolense, A. dichlamydeum, A. dictuon, A. douglasii, A. drummondii, A. elmendorfii, A. falcifolium, A. fibrillum, A. fimbriatum, A. fistulosum, A. geyeri, A. gooddingii, A. haematochiton, A. hickmanii, A. hoffmanii, A. howellii, A. hyalinum, A. jepsonii, A. kunthii, A. lacunosum, A. lemmonii, A. macropetalum, A. macrum, A. madidum, A. membranaceum, A. monticola, A. munzii, A. neapolitanum, A. nevadense, A. nevii, A. nigrum, A. obtusum, A. oleraceum, A. paniculatum, A. parishii, A. parryi, A. parvum, A. passeyi, A. peninsulare, A. perdulce, A. platycaule, A. plummerae, A. praecox, A. punctum, A. rhizomatum, A. robinsonii, A. rotundum, A. runyonii, A. sanbornii, A. sativum, A. schoenoprasum, A. scilloides, A. serra, A. sharsmithiae, A. shevockii, A. simillimum, A. siskiyouense, A. speculae, A. stellatum, A. textile, A. tolmiei, A. tribracteatum, A. tricoccum, A. triquetrum, A. tuberosum, A. tuolumnense, A. unifolium, A. validum, A. victorialis, A. vineale, A. yosemitense
A. aaseae, A. abramsii, A. acuminatum, A. ampeloprasum, A. amplectens, A. anceps, A. atrorubens, A. bigelovii, A. bisceptrum, A. bolanderi, A. brandegeei, A. brevistylum, A. burlewii, A. campanulatum, A. canadense, A. cepa, A. cernuum, A. columbianum, A. constrictum, A. coryi, A. cratericola, A. crenulatum, A. crispum, A. cuthbertii, A. denticulatum, A. diabolense, A. dichlamydeum, A. dictuon, A. douglasii, A. drummondii, A. elmendorfii, A. falcifolium, A. fibrillum, A. fimbriatum, A. fistulosum, A. geyeri, A. gooddingii, A. haematochiton, A. hickmanii, A. hoffmanii, A. howellii, A. hyalinum, A. jepsonii, A. kunthii, A. lacunosum, A. lemmonii, A. macropetalum, A. macrum, A. madidum, A. membranaceum, A. monticola, A. munzii, A. neapolitanum, A. nevadense, A. nevii, A. nigrum, A. obtusum, A. paniculatum, A. parishii, A. parryi, A. parvum, A. passeyi, A. peninsulare, A. perdulce, A. platycaule, A. plummerae, A. praecox, A. punctum, A. rhizomatum, A. robinsonii, A. rotundum, A. runyonii, A. sanbornii, A. sativum, A. schoenoprasum, A. scilloides, A. serra, A. sharsmithiae, A. shevockii, A. simillimum, A. siskiyouense, A. speculae, A. stellatum, A. textile, A. tolmiei, A. tribracteatum, A. tricoccum, A. triquetrum, A. tuberosum, A. tuolumnense, A. unifolium, A. validum, A. victorialis, A. vineale, A. yosemitense
Synonyms A. acuminatum var. cuspidatum, A. cuspidatum
Name authority Hooker: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 184, plate 196. (1838) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 299. (1753)
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