Allium praecox |
Allium perdulce |
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early onion |
plains onion |
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Bulbs | 1–3, increase bulbs absent or ± equaling parent bulbs, never appearing as basal cluster, not clustered on stout primary rhizome, ovoid to globose, 1–1.8 × 1–1.7 cm; outer coats enclosing 1 or more bulbs, gray-brown to brown, prominently cellular-reticulate, membranous, cells arranged in ± vertical rows, forming irregular herringbone pattern, transversely elongate, V-shaped, without fibers; inner coats white, cells obscure, ± transversely elongate, contorted. |
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. |
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Leaves | persistent, withering from tip by anthesis, 2–3, basally sheathing, sheaths not extending much above soil surface; blade solid, flat, broadly channeled, carinate, 20–75 cm × 5–10 mm, margins entire. |
persistent, green at anthesis, 3–5, sheathing; blade solid, flat, channeled, 8–30 cm × 1–2(–3) mm, margins entire. |
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Scape | persistent, solitary, erect, solid, terete, 20–60 cm × 2–4 mm. |
persistent, solitary, erect, ± terete, 10–20 cm × 1–3 mm. |
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Umbel | shattering after seeds mature, each flower deciduous with its pedicel as a unit, erect, loose, 5–40-flowered, hemispheric, bulbils unknown; spathe bracts persistent, 2, 5–7-veined, lanceolate to lance-ovate, ± equal, apex acuminate. |
persistent, erect, loose, 5–25-flowered, hemispheric-globose, bulbils unknown; spathe bracts persistent, 2–3, 3–7-veined, ovate, ± equal, apex acuminate. |
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Flowers | stellate, 6–13 mm; tepals spreading at anthesis, white to pale pink with purple midveins, lance-ovate to ovate, ± equal, becoming papery and connivent over capsule, margins entire, apex acute, obtuse, or emarginate; stamens included; anthers purple and yellow; pollen yellow; ovary crested; processes 3, central, 2-lobed, minute, margins entire; style linear, equaling stamens; stigma capitate, scarcely thickened, unlobed; pedicel 15–40 mm. |
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. |
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Seed | coat shining; cells minutely roughened. |
coat dull or shining; cells minutely roughened. |
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2n | = 14. |
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Allium praecox |
Allium perdulce |
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Phenology | Flowering Mar–May. | |||||
Habitat | Clay soil on shaded, grassy slopes near coast | |||||
Elevation | 50–800 m (200–2600 ft) | |||||
Distribution |
CA; Mexico (Baja California)
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c North America
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Discussion | Varieties 2 (2 in the flora). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 26, p. 263. | FNA vol. 26, p. 241. | ||||
Parent taxa | ||||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||
Synonyms | A. hyalinum var. praecox | |||||
Name authority | Brandegee: Zoë 5: 228. (1906) | S. V. Fraser: Trans. Kansas Acad. Sci. 42: 124. (1940) | ||||
Web links |