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Hooker's onion, taper-tip onion

Spanish needle onion

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.

2–10+, forming threadlike rhizomes, rhizomes 3–10 cm, terminated by bulbels and/or 1–2 basal bulbels that in turn may produce threadlike rhizomes, ± globose, 1–1.5 × 1–1.5 cm;

outer coats enclosing single bulb, brown, membranous, lacking cellular reticulation or cells arranged in only 2–3 rows distal to roots, ± quadrate, without fibers;

inner coats light yellow, turning reddish on drying, cells obscure, ± quadrate.

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.

persistent, withering from tip by anthesis, 1, basally sheathing, sheath not extending much above soil surface;

blade solid, terete, 20–40 cm × 2–4 mm.

Scape

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

persistent, solitary, erect, solid, terete, 10–20+ cm × 1–5 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, 12–30-flowered, globose, bulbils unknown;

spathe bracts persistent, usually 3, 5–7-veined, lanceolate, ± equal, apex apiculate.

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.

campanulate, 12–14 mm;

tepals spreading, unequal;

outer tepals maroon, oblanceolate, margins irregularly shallow-toothed, apex acute to mucronate, reflexed-curled;

inner tepals maroon distally, white proximally, ovate, withering in fruit, curled back at tip, margins entire, apex acute, reflexed;

stamens included;

anthers yellow;

pollen yellow;

ovary crested;

processes 6, prominent, narrowly triangular, margins entire, apex emarginate;

style linear, equaling stamens;

stigma capitate, 3-lobed, lobes slender, recurved;

pedicel 10–16 mm.

Seed

coat dull or shining;

cells minutely roughened.

coat shining;

cells minutely roughened.

2n

= 14.

= 14.

Allium acuminatum

Allium shevockii

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jul. Flowering Jun–Jul.
Habitat Dry slopes and plains Soil pockets on schist outcrops
Elevation 100–1500 m (300–4900 ft) 2200–2400 m (7200–7900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; ID; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Of conservation concern.

Allium shevockii is known only from the upper slopes of Spanish Needle Peak in the southern Sierra Nevada and from Horse Canyon, Tehachapi Mountains.

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

Source FNA vol. 26, p. 261. FNA vol. 26, p. 252.
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. 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. 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) McNeal: Madroño 34: 150, fig. 1. (1987)
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