Allium textile |
Allium bisceptrum |
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prairie onion, textile onion, white wild onion |
twincrest onion |
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Bulbs | 1–3+, not rhizomatous, without basal bulbels, ovoid, 1.2–2.5 × 1–2 cm; outer coats enclosing 1 or more bulbs, gray or brown, reticulate, cells fine-meshed, open, fibrous; inner coats whitish, cells vertically elongate and regular or obscure. |
1–7+, commonly producing either cluster of stalked, basal bulbels or filiform rhizomes to 1 dm, terminated by bulbels, rhizomes generally lost when specimens are collected, ovoid, 1–2 × 0.6–1.8 cm; outer coats enclosing 1 or more bulbs, light brown to gray, membranous, obscurely cellular-reticulate, cells rectangular, walls minutely sinuous, vertical, varying to irregular, all sinuous, without fibers; inner coats white to pink, cells obscure, quadrate. |
Leaves | persistent, green at anthesis, 2, sheathing; blade solid, ± straight, channeled, semiterete, 10–40 cm × 1–3(–5) mm, margins entire or denticulate. |
persistent, green at anthesis, 2–5, basally sheathing, sheaths not extending much above soil surface; blade solid, flat, broadly channeled, 8–30 cm × 1–13 mm, margins entire. |
Scape | persistent, solitary, erect, ± terete, 5–30(–40) cm × 1–3 mm. |
persistent, solitary or clustered 1–3, erect, solid, terete, 10–30(–40) cm × 1–5 mm. |
Umbel | persistent, erect, compact to ± loose, 15–30-flowered, hemispheric, bulbils unknown; spathe bracts persistent, 3, usually 1-veined, ovate, ± equal, apex acuminate. |
persistent, erect, loose, 15–40-flowered, globose, bulbils unknown; spathe bracts persistent, 2, 3–4-veined, ovate to lanceolate, ± equal, apex acuminate. |
Flowers | urceolate to campanulate, 5–7 mm; tepals erect, white or rarely pink, with red or reddish brown midribs; outer whorl broadly ovate to lanceolate, unequal, becoming callous-keeled and permanently investing capsule, margins often obscurely toothed apically, apex obtuse to acuminate; inner whorl narrower, margins entire, apex distinctly spreading; stamens included; anthers yellow; pollen yellow; ovary ± conspicuously crested; processes 6, central, distinct or connate in pairs across septa, ± erect, rounded, to 1 mm, margins entire, becoming variously developed or obsolete in fruit; style linear, equaling filaments; stigma capitate, unlobed or obscurely lobed; pedicel 5–20 mm. |
stellate, 7–10 mm; tepals spreading, lilac to white, lanceolate, ± equal, becoming papery in fruit, not carinate, margins entire, apex acuminate, not involute; stamens included; anthers purple; pollen yellow; ovary conspicuously crested; processes 6, central, distinct, flattened, triangular, margins papillose-denticulate; style included, linear, ± equaling stamens; stigma capitate, unlobed; pedicel 10–20 mm, often becoming flexuous and deflexed in fruit. |
Seed | coat shining; cells ± smooth, without central papillae. |
coat shining; cells each with minute, central papilla. |
2n | = 14, 28. |
= 14, 28. |
Allium textile |
Allium bisceptrum |
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Phenology | Flowering May–Jun. | Flowering May–Jul. |
Habitat | Dry plains and hills | Meadows and aspen groves, less commonly on open slopes in mountains |
Elevation | 300–2400 m (1000–7900 ft) | 1100–3000 m (3600–9800 ft) |
Distribution |
CO; IA; ID; KS; MN; MT; ND; NE; NM; NV; SD; UT; WA; WY; AB; MB; SK
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AZ; CA; ID; NM; NV; OR; UT
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Discussion | Two varieties of Allium bisceptrum have been recognized. Where their ranges overlap (central Utah and central Nevada), the putative varieties cannot be distinguished confidently except by chromosome number. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 26, p. 243. | FNA vol. 26, p. 256. |
Parent taxa | Liliaceae > Allium | Liliaceae > Allium |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | A. aridum, A. reticulatum, A. reticulatum var. playanum | A. bisceptrum var. palmeri, A. bisceptrum var. utahense, A. palmeri |
Name authority | A. Nelson & J. F. Macbride: Bot. Gaz. 56: 470. (1913) | S. Watson: Botany (Fortieth Parallel), 351, plate 37, figs. 1–3. (1871) |
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