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Kunth's onion

Diablo onion, serpentine onion

Bulbs

1–4+, rhizomes, if present, secondary, inconspicuous, 2 cm or less including renewal bulb, ± thick, terminated by new bulb, parent bulbs disappearing by anthesis except for still-functional roots and bulb coat, not basally clustered, ovoid, 1–2 × 0.8–1.5 cm;

outer coats enclosing renewal bulbs or not, grayish or brownish, with or without obscure, delicate, cellular markings, sometimes striate, membranous, cells elongate, in regular vertical rows, without fibers;

inner bulb coats whitish or pinkish, cells obscure, ± quadrate or rectangular and vertically elongate.

1–3, not clustered on stout, primary rhizomes, ovoid to ± globose, 1–1.6 × 0.9–1.6 cm;

outer coats enclosing 1 or more bulbs, reddish brown, membranous, lacking cellular reticulation or cells arranged in 2–3 rows proximal to roots, ± quadrate, without fibers;

inner coats pale brown to white, cells obscure, quadrate.

Leaves

persistent, green at anthesis, 2–5, basally sheathing, sheaths not extended much above soil surface;

blade solid, flat, channeled, 10–21 cm × 1–3 mm, margins and veins sometimes denticulate.

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

blade solid, terete, 10–30(–40) cm × 1–3 mm.

Scape

persistent, solitary, occasionally 2 or more produced successively from single bulb, erect, solid, terete, 15–30 cm × 1–3 mm.

persistent, solitary, erect, solid, terete, 7–20(–30) cm × 1–3 mm.

Umbel

persistent, erect, loose, 5–20-flowered, conic, bulbils unknown;

spathe bracts persistent, 2, 3–5-veined, lanceolate, apex acuminate.

persistent, erect, compact to ± loose, 10–50-flowered, hemispheric, bulbils unknown;

spathe bracts persistent, 2–3, 8–10-veined, lanceolate, ± equal, apex acuminate to long-acuminate.

Flowers

stellate to campanulate, 4–8 mm;

tepals ± spreading, white or pale pink (particularly on midribs), lanceolate, ± equal, becoming papery and withering in fruit, margins entire, apex acute to acuminate;

stamens included;

anthers yellow or purple;

pollen yellow;

ovary crestless;

style linear, equaling stamens;

stigma capitate, unlobed;

pedicel unequal, 10–20 mm.

campanulate, 6–10 mm;

tepals erect, white or tinged pink with dark red midveins, lanceolate to ovate, ± equal, becoming papery in fruit, margins entire, apex obtuse to acute or apiculate, not conspicuously recurved at tip;

stamens included;

anthers yellow;

pollen yellow;

ovary crested;

processes 6, prominent, ± triangular, margins erose to ± laciniate;

style linear, equaling stamens;

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

pedicel 7–20 mm.

Seed

coat dull;

cells ± smooth.

coat dull;

cells minutely roughened.

2n

= 14.

= 14.

Allium kunthii

Allium diabolense

Phenology Flowering Jul–Sep. Flowering mid Apr–Jun.
Habitat Dry, rocky hills and mountains, usually in limestone soils Serpentine clay soils
Elevation 700–3000 m (2300–9800 ft) 500–1500 m (1600–4900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; NM; TX; Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Allium longifolium (Kunth) Sprengel (1825), based on Schoenoprasum longifolium Kunth (1816), may be the same as A. kunthii; the type material is inadequate for definite determination.

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

Allium diabolense is known only from the southern Coast Ranges and western Transverse Ranges.

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

Source FNA vol. 26, p. 257. FNA vol. 26.
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. geyeri, A. gooddingii, A. haematochiton, A. hickmanii, A. hoffmanii, A. howellii, A. hyalinum, A. jepsonii, 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. 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
Synonyms A. scaposum, Schoenoprasum lineare A. fimbriatum var. diabolense
Name authority G. Don: Mem. Wern. Nat. Hist. Soc. 6: 82. (1827) (Ownbey & Aase ex Traub) McNeal: Aliso 13: 425. (1992)
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