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Geyer's onion

cow garlic, crow garlic, field garlic, short-beak agoseris, vineyard onion, wild chives, wild garlic

Bulbs

2–10+, not rhizomatous, ovoid or more elongate, 1–2.5 × 0.8–2 cm;

outer coats enclosing 1 or more bulbs, gray or brown, reticulate, cells rather coarse-meshed, open, fibrous;

inner coats whitish, cells vertically elongate and regular or obscure.

5–20, clustered, stipitate, hard-shelled, asymmetric, ovoid, 1–2 × 1–2 cm;

outer coats enclosing bulbs, brownish to yellowish, membranous, vertically striate, splitting into parallel strips and fibers, cells arranged in ± wavy rows, vertical;

inner coats white to light brown, cells obscure, vertically elongate.

Leaves

persistent, usually green at anthesis, usually 3–5, sheathing less than 1/4 scape;

blade solid, ± straight, flat, channeled, (6–)12–30 cm × 1–3(–5) mm, margins entire or denticulate.

persistent, green at anthesis, 2–4, sheathing at least proximal 1/2 scape;

blade hollow below middle, terete, cylindric or filiform, not carinate, 20–60 cm × 2–4 mm, margins entire.

Scape

persistent, solitary, erect, terete or somewhat 2-angled, 10–50 cm × 1–3 mm.

persistent, solitary, erect, terete, 30–120 cm × 1.5–4 mm.

Umbel

persistent, erect, compact, 10–25-flowered, hemispheric to globose, not producing bulbils, or 0–5-flowered, largely replaced by ovoid, acuminate bulbils;

spathe bracts persistent, 2–3, mostly 1-veined, ovate to lanceolate, ± equal, apex acuminate, beakless.

persistent, erect, ± compact, 0–50-flowered, subglobose to ovoid or hemispheric, flowering pedicels all or in part replaced by bulbils;

bulbils sessile, basally narrowed, 4–6 × 2–3 mm;

spathe bract caducous, 1, 2–several-veined, ovate, apex caudate, beaked, beak ± equaling or longer than base.

Flowers

urceolate-campanulate, (4–)6–8(–10) mm;

tepals erect or spreading, pink to white, ovate to lanceolate, ± equal, not withering in fruit and permanently investing fruit, or withering if fruit not produced, midribs papillose, becoming callous-keeled, margins often obscurely toothed, apex obtuse to acuminate;

stamens included;

anthers yellow;

pollen yellow;

ovary when present, inconspicuously crested;

processes 6, central, low, distinct or connate in pairs across septa, ± erect, rounded, margins entire, becoming variously developed or obsolete in fruit;

style linear, ± equaling stamens;

stigma capitate, unlobed or obscurely lobed;

pedicel becoming rigid and stiffly spreading in fruit, 8–13 mm.

campanulate, 3–4 mm;

tepals erect, greenish to purple, elliptic-lanceolate, ± equal, withering in fruit, margins entire, apex obtuse;

stamens exserted, outer 3 filaments without appendages, inner 3 filaments with 2 prominent lateral appendages;

anthers purple;

pollen white;

ovary crestless;

style exserted, linear, ± equaling stamen;

stigma capitate, scarcely thickened, unlobed; flowering pedicel 10–20 mm.

Seed

coat shining;

cells each with minute, central papilla.

coat shining;

cells smooth.

2n

= 32, 40.

Allium geyeri

Allium vineale

Phenology Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat Disturbed areas often adjacent to agricultural lands
Elevation 0–700 m (0–2300 ft)
Distribution
from USDA
w North America
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; CA; CT; DC; DE; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MO; MS; NC; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; TN; VA; WV; ON; QC; Europe [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Allium vineale is also expected to be found in Wisconsin and Texas; specimens were not seen. It is a noxious weed, apparently introduced from Europe in colonial times. The small, wheat-sized bulbils frequently contaminated wheat grown in infested areas. Bread made from such wheat was garlic-flavored, and cows grazing in infested pastures produce garlic-flavored milk.

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

Key
1. Umbel fully floriferous, not producing bulbils, ovaries mostly all producing seeds.
var. geyeri
1. Umbel not fully floriferous, producing 0–5, mostly sterile flowers, flowers mostly replaced by ovoid, acuminate bulbils.
var. tenerum
Source FNA vol. 26, p. 237. FNA vol. 26, p. 237.
Parent taxa Liliaceae > Allium Liliaceae > Allium
Sibling taxa
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. 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. 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. yosemitense
Subordinate taxa
A. geyeri var. geyeri, A. geyeri var. tenerum
Name authority S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 14: 227. (1879) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 299. (1753)
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