The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

dusky onion, rosy Sierra onion, Sierra onion

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

Bulbs

1–3, producing cluster of stalked basal bulbels distal to roots or filiform rhizomes to 10 cm and terminated by bulbels, ovoid, 1–2 × 0.6–1.4 cm;

outer coats enclosing 1 or more bulbs, brown to gray, membranous, cellular-reticulate, cells ± quadrate, walls very sinuous, without fibers;

inner coats pink to white, cells obscure, vertically elongate.

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, withering from tip by anthesis, 2, basally sheathing, sheaths not extending much above soil surface;

blade solid, flat, distinctly concave-convex, 8–40 cm × 1–5 mm, margins entire.

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 or clustered, 1–3, erect, solid, terete, 10–30 cm × 1–5 mm.

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

Umbel

persistent, erect, loose, 10–50-flowered, ± globose, bulbils unknown;

spathe bracts persistent, 2–3, 3–5-veined, ovate to lanceolate, ± equal, apex acuminate.

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

stellate, 5–8 mm;

tepals spreading, rose to purple (rarely white) with darker purple crescent adaxially basally, lanceolate to ovate, ± equal, carinate in fruit, becoming erect, ± shiny, rigid, margins entire, apex acuminate, strongly involute at tip;

stamens included;

anthers purple;

pollen yellow;

ovary crested;

processes 6, prominent, low, central, triangular, margins minutely denticulate;

style linear, ± equaling stamens;

stigma capitate, scarcely thickened, unlobed;

pedicel 10–20 mm, becoming flexuous and mostly strongly deflexed in fruit.

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

= 14, 28.

= 32, 40.

Allium campanulatum

Allium vineale

Phenology Flowering late May–Aug. Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat Generally sandy soils on open or shaded slopes Disturbed areas often adjacent to agricultural lands
Elevation 600–2600 m (2000–8500 ft) 0–700 m (0–2300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; NV; OR
[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

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.)

Source FNA vol. 26, p. 256. 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. 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. 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
Synonyms A. austinae, A. bidwelliae, A. campanulatum var. bidwelliae
Name authority S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 14: 231. (1879) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 299. (1753)
Web links