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simil onion

Mexicali onion, Peninsula onion, Peninsular onion

Bulbs

usually solitary, not clustered on stout, primary rhizome, ovoid, 0.8–1.6 × 0.6–1.4 cm;

outer coats enclosing single bulb, brownish, membranous, with ± obscure reticulations, cells isodiametric to transversely elongate, often contorted, without fibers;

inner coats white to pink, cells obscure, quadrate.

1–5+, increase bulbs absent or ± equaling parent bulbs, never appearing as basal cluster, not clustered on stout primary rhizome, ovoid to ± globose, 0.6–1 cm × 6–10 mm;

outer coats enclosing 1 or more bulbs, brown to gray-brown, prominently cellular-reticulate, membranous, cells arranged in ± vertical rows, forming distinct herringbone pattern, transversely elongate, V-shaped, without fibers;

inner coats white, cells not visible or arranged in vertical rows, forming distinct herringbone pattern, ± transversely elongate.

Leaves

usually dedicuous with scape, green at anthesis, 2, basally sheathing, sheaths not extended much above soil surface;

blade solid, flat to ± terete, linear, broadly channeled, 4–22 cm × 1–2 mm, margins entire.

persistent, withering from tip by anthesis, 2–3, basally sheathing, sheaths not extending much above soil surface;

blade solid, subterete or ± channeled, straight to arcuate, 8–30 cm × 1–3 mm, margins entire.

Scape

usually forming abcission layer and deciduous with leaves after seeds mature, frequently breaking at this level after pressing, solitary, erect, solid, slightly flattened, very narrowly winged or not, 1–5 cm × 0.5–2 mm.

persistent, solitary, erect, solid, terete, 12–45 cm × 1–3 mm.

Umbel

persistent, erect, compact, 5–15-flowered, hemispheric, bulbils unknown;

spathe bracts persistent, 2, 6–9-veined, ovate, ± equal, apex obtuse or acute.

persistent, erect, loose, 5–35-flowered, hemispheric to conic, bulbils unknown;

spathe bracts persistent, 2, 3–6-veined, lance-ovate to ovate, ± equal, apex acuminate.

Flowers

campanulate, 5–9 mm;

tepals erect, white with green or reddish midribs or rarely pink, oblong to lanceolate, ± equal, becoming papery in fruit, margins obscurely to distinctly denticulate-serrulate, apex obtuse to acuminate;

stamens included;

anthers purple or mottled purple and white;

pollen white or gray;

ovary crested;

processes 3, low, rounded, margins entire;

style linear, equaling stamens;

stigma capitate, scarcely thickened, unlobed;

pedicel 2–5 mm.

campanulate, 8–15 mm;

tepals erect, reddish purple, lanceolate to elliptic, unequal, outer tepals longer and wider than inner, becoming rigid and ± carinate in fruit, margins entire or inner minutely denticulate, never crisped, apex acute or short-acuminate, inner tepals spreading at tip, outer ± recurved;

stamens included;

anthers yellow;

pollen yellow;

ovary crested;

processes 3, central, 2-lobed, minute, margins entire;

style linear, equaling stamens;

stigma capitate, unlobed to distinctly 3-lobed;

pedicel 8–40 mm.

Seed

coat dull or shining;

cells smooth.

coat dull;

cells minutely roughened.

2n

= 14.

Allium simillimum

Allium peninsulare

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat Coarse, sandy soils of granitic, calcareous, or basaltic origins
Elevation 1800–3400 m (5900–11200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
ID; MT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
w United States; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Key
1. Leaf blade straight or nearly so; flowers 10–15 mm; stigma capitate, distinctly 3-lobed.
var. peninsulare
1. Leaf blade arcuate; flowers 8–12 mm; stigma capitate, scarcely thickened, unlobed or minutely 3-lobed.
var. franciscanum
Source FNA vol. 26, p. 268. FNA vol. 26, p. 265.
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. 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. 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. 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. peninsulare var. franciscanum, A. peninsulare var. peninsulare
Name authority L. F. Henderson: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 27: 355. (1900) Lemmon ex Greene: Pittonia 1: 165. (1888)
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