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plains onion

Parish's onion, wild onion

Bulbs

2–20+, without basal bulbels, 1–2.5 × 1.2–2.8 cm;

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

inner coats whitish, cells regular, vertically elongate, walls not sinuous.

1–2, not clustered on primary rhizome, without stalked basal increase bulbs, ovoid, 1–1.5 × 0.8–1.3 cm;

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

inner coats pinkish to reddish brown, cells obscure, ± rectangular, vertically elongate.

Leaves

persistent, green at anthesis, 3–5, sheathing;

blade solid, flat, channeled, 8–30 cm × 1–2(–3) mm, margins entire.

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

blade solid, terete, 5–30 cm × 1–3 mm.

Scape

persistent, solitary, erect, ± terete, 10–20 cm × 1–3 mm.

persistent, solitary, erect, solid, terete, 5–25 cm × 1–3 mm.

Umbel

persistent, erect, loose, 5–25-flowered, hemispheric-globose, bulbils unknown;

spathe bracts persistent, 2–3, 3–7-veined, ovate, ± equal, apex acuminate.

persistent, erect, compact, 6–15-flowered, hemispheric, bulbils unknown;

spathe bracts persistent, 2–3, 5–7-veined, ovate, ± equal, apex acuminate.

Flowers

urceolate, 7–10 mm;

tepals erect, white or pale pink with deep pink midribs to deep rose, lanceolate, ± equal, becoming callous-keeled and permanently investing capsule, margins entire, apex obtuse or acute;

stamens included;

anthers yellow or purple;

pollen yellow;

ovary crestless;

style linear, ± equaling stamens;

stigma capitate, unlobed or obscurely lobed;

pedicel 3–17 mm, ± 2 times perianth at anthesis, elongating in fruit.

narrowly campanulate, 12–18 mm;

tepals erect, spreading at tips, pale pink with darker midveins, lanceolate to lance-linear, ± equal, inner slightly shorter and narrower than outer, margins entire, apex acute, becoming rigid in fruit;

stamens included;

anthers yellow;

pollen yellow;

ovary crested;

processes 6, prominent, ± triangular, margins entire to irregularly denticulate;

style linear, equaling stamens;

stigma capitate, scarcely thickened, minutely 3-lobed, lobes stout, ± spreading;

pedicel 5–15 mm.

Seed

coat dull or shining;

cells minutely roughened.

coat dull or shining;

cells minutely roughened.

2n

= 14.

Allium perdulce

Allium parishii

Phenology Flowering Apr–May.
Habitat Rocky, sandy desert slopes
Elevation 900–1400 m (3000–4600 ft)
Distribution
from USDA
c North America
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Key
1. Tepals deep rose, aging to purple; n Texas and e New Mexico to se South Dakota and adjacent Iowa
var. perdulce
1. Tepals white to light pink, aging pink; trans-Pecos Texas.
var. sperryi
Source FNA vol. 26, p. 241. FNA vol. 26, p. 249.
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. 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. 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
A. perdulce var. perdulce, A. perdulce var. sperryi
Name authority S. V. Fraser: Trans. Kansas Acad. Sci. 42: 124. (1940) S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 17: 380. (1882)
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