Allium madidum |
Allium cernuum |
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mountain swamp onion, swamp onion |
lady's leek, nodding onion |
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Bulbs | 1–3, larger bulbs each usually with cluster of 10–30 easily detached bulbels to one side of base, not clustered on stout, primary rhizome, globose to ovoid, 1–1.6 × 0.8–1.5 cm; outer coats enclosing 1 or more bulbs, brownish, membranous, without fibers; inner coats white to pink; inner and outer coats frequently without obvious reticulations, these, when present, contorted. |
2–5+, clustered, often short-rhizomatous at base, rhizome not stout or iris-like, oblong, elongate, 1–3 × 0.8–1.5 cm; outer coats enclosing 1 or more bulbs, grayish or brownish, membranous, minutely striate, cells in regular vertical rows, narrowly elongate, fibers persistent, parallel, few; inner coats white to pink or reddish, cells in regular vertical rows, narrowly elongate. |
Leaves | persistent, green at anthesis, 2, basally sheathing, sheaths not extending much above soil surface; blade solid, flat or channeled, 10–25 cm × 1–4 mm, margins entire. |
persistent, green at anthesis, 3–5, basally sheathing, sheaths not extending much above soil level; blade solid, flat, channeled to broadly V-shaped in cross section, 10–25 cm × 1–6 mm, margins entire or denticulate. |
Scape | persistent, solitary, erect, solid, ± terete, sometimes ridged, 10–20 cm × 1–2 mm. |
persistent, sometimes 2 or more produced successively from single bulb, usually clustered, nodding, solid, terete or ridged, particularly distally, sometimes flattened and narrowly winged, abruptly recurved near apex, 10–50 cm × 1–3 mm. |
Umbel | persistent, erect, compact, 10–20-flowered, hemispheric, bulbils unknown; spathe bracts persistent, 2, 5–7-veined, ovate, ± equal, apex acuminate. |
persistent, cernuous, loose, 8–35-flowered, hemispheric, bulbils unknown; spathe bracts persistent, 2, 3-veined, lanceolate, ± equal, apex acuminate, beakless. |
Flowers | campanulate, 6–10 mm; tepals erect or ± spreading, white with prominent green or pink midveins, lanceolate, ± equal, becoming papery in fruit, margins entire, apex obtuse to acuminate, becoming involute at tip; stamens included; anthers white or yellow; pollen yellow; ovary crestless or obscurely crested; processes 3, low, central, rounded, minute; style linear, equaling stamens; stigma capitate, unlobed or slightly lobed; pedicel 5–12 mm. |
campanulate, 4–6 mm; tepals ± erect, pink or white, elliptic-ovate, ± equal, withering in fruit, margins ± entire, apex ± obtuse, at least outer tepals strongly incurved, midribs not thickened; stamens exserted; anthers yellow; pollen yellow; ovary conspicuously crested; processes 6, flattened, ± triangular, margins entire or toothed; style exserted, linear, ± equaling stamens; stigma capitate, scarcely thickened, unlobed; pedicel 6–25 mm, becoming stouter in fruit, elongating and bending abruptly upward from near point of attachment. |
Seed | coat dull; cells ± smooth. |
coat dull or shining; cells smooth, minutely roughened, or each with minute, central papilla. |
2n | = 28, 42. |
= 14. |
Allium madidum |
Allium cernuum |
|
Phenology | Flowering May–Jul. | Flowering Jul–Oct. |
Habitat | Seasonally wet meadows | Widely distributed on moist soils in mountainous and cool regions |
Elevation | 1100–2000 m (3600–6600 ft) | 600–3500 m (2000–11500 ft) |
Distribution |
ID; OR
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AL; AR; AZ; CO; DC; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KY; MD; MI; MN; MO; MT; NC; NE; NM; NY; OH; OR; PA; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; ON; SK; Mexico
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Discussion | Allium madidum is found in the Blue Mountains, Oregon and in Idaho near Payette Lake and New Meadows. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Allium cernuum is the most widespread North American species of the genus. It is closely related to A. stellatum, and the character commonly used to differentiate them has been umbel orientation. In both species, the inflorescence is nodding in bud, but in A. stellatum it usually becomes erect by anthesis. In A. cernuum the peduncle remains permanently recurved near the apex, although the inflorescence may sometimes become erect overall, or nearly so. While this character is helpful in identification, an almost exclusive reliance on it (even by one of the present authors in his youth) has obscured other clearer distinctions between the species and has confused their geographic ranges. More reliable characters for differentiating these species are bulb shape (elongate in A. cernuum, ovoid in A. stellatum) and perianth shape (campanulate in A. cernuum, stellate in A. stellatum). Unfortunately, perianth shape is often difficult to see in herbarium specimens. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 26, p. 255. | FNA vol. 26, p. 247. |
Parent taxa | Liliaceae > Allium | Liliaceae > Allium |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | A. allegheniense, A. oxyphilum, A. recurvatum | |
Name authority | S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 14: 228. (1879) | Roth: Arch. Bot. (Leipzig) 1: 40. (1798) |
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