Allium robinsonii

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Columbia River onion
Allium robinsonii 1934.JPG
Allium robinsonii in Grant County, Washington
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Amaryllidaceae
Subfamily: Allioideae
Genus: Allium
Species:
A. robinsonii
Binomial name
Allium robinsonii

Allium robinsonii, the Columbia River onion or Robinson's onion, is a rare plant species native to the US States of Washington and Oregon, although some studies suggest that the Oregon populations may now be extinct. The species has been reported from five counties in Washington (Ferry, Yakima, Grant, Franklin and Benton) and five in Oregon (Umatilla, Morrow, Gilliam, Sherman and Wasco). It is found in sand and gravel deposits along the lower Columbia River and some of its tributaries, usually at elevations less than 200 m. [1] [2] [3] The species is also cultivated as an ornamental in other regions, including in Europe. [4]

Allium robinsonii produces 1–3 egg-shaped bulbs up to 2 cm long, but no underground rhizomes. The flowering stalks are relatively short for the genus, rarely more than 8 cm tall. The flowers are bell-shaped, up to 9 mm across; tepals are white to pale pink with red midrib; anthers purple; pollen yellow or gray; ovary crested. The plant is named in honor of B. L. Robinson of the Gray Herbarium of Harvard University. [1] [5] [6] [7] [8] The leaves are flat and succulent, remaining during flowering. [9]

Related Research Articles

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<i>Allium validum</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Allium nigrum</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Allium cernuum</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Allium unifolium</i> Species of flowering plant

Allium unifolium, the one-leaf onion or American garlic, is a North American species of wild onion. It is native to the coastal mountain ranges of California, Oregon, and Baja California. It grows on clay soils including serpentine, at elevations up to 1100 m.

<i>Allium acuminatum</i> Species of flowering plant

Allium acuminatum, also known as the tapertip onion or Hooker's onion, is a species in the genus Allium native to North America.

<i>Allium amplectens</i> Species of flowering plant

Allium amplectens, the narrowleaf onion, is a species of onion plant. It is native to the West coast of the United States, in Oregon, Washington State and California, also British Columbia in Canada. It grows in woods and especially in clay and serpentine soils.

<i>Allium campanulatum</i> Species of flowering plant

Allium campanulatum is a species of wild onion known by the common name dusky onion or Sierra onion. This is a flowering plant native to the western United States from southeastern Washington and northern Oregon to southern California, and western Nevada. The dusky onion grows in foothills and mountains, especially in dry areas, such as chaparral habitats.

<i>Allium siskiyouense</i> Species of flowering plant

Allium siskiyouense is a North American species of wild onion known by the common name Siskiyou onion. It is native to the Klamath Mountains and nearby ranges of northern California and Oregon. It grows in serpentine and other rocky soil types.

Allium dictuon is a species of wild onion known by the common name Blue Mountain onion. It is native to a small section of the Blue Mountains straddling the border between southeastern Washington and northeastern Oregon in the United States. It grows in Columbia, Garfield and Walla Walla Counties in Washington, plus Umatilla and Wallowa Counties in Oregon.

<i>Allium aaseae</i> Species of flowering plant

Allium aaseae, the Southern Idaho onion or Aase's onion, is a plant species endemic to southwestern Idaho. It has been reported from 6 counties: Elmore, Ada, Boise, Gem, Payette and Washington.

<i>Allium geyeri</i> Species of flowering plant

Allium geyeri is a North American species of onion widespread in the western United States and in western Canada. It is found in the Rocky Mountain States from New Mexico to Idaho, Great Basin, the Pacific Northwest, Texas, South Dakota, Arizona, Manitoba, British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan.

<i>Allium macrum</i> Species of wild onion native to the United States

Allium macrum, the rock onion, is an American species of wild onion native to the eastern and central parts of the US States of Oregon and Washington. It grows on gravelly soils at elevations up to 1400 m. It is a perennial herb.

Allium madidum, common name mountain swamp onion, is a plant species native to the west-central Idaho, southern Washington and eastern Oregon. It grows in wet meadows at elevations of 1100–2000 m.

<i>Allium scilloides</i> Species of flowering plant

Allium scilloides, called the fragile onion, is a plant species endemic to the US State of Washington. It has been reported from only 4 counties, all on the eastern side of the Cascade Range: Klickitat, Kittitas, Yakima and Grant. It grows on barren, gravelly slopes at elevations of 300–1300 m. The species is sometimes cultivated in other regions as an ornamental.

<i>Allium simillimum</i> Species of flowering plant

Allium simillimum, the Simil Onion, or dwarf onion, is a plant species native to Idaho and Montana. It grows on sandy soils at high elevations in the mountains, 1800–3400 m.

<i>Allium tolmiei</i> Species of flowering plant

Allium tolmiei is a plant species native to Idaho, eastern and central Oregon, southeastern Washington, northwestern Nevada and northeastern California. It occurs on mountains and scrublands at elevations of 1,300–9,200 feet (400–2,800 m). It was discovered by and named for Dr. William Fraser Tolmie.

<i>Allium douglasii</i> Species of flowering plant

Allium douglasii, the Douglas onion, is a plant species native to northeastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and northern Idaho. It grows in shallow soils at elevations of 400–1,300 m (1,300–4,300 ft).

<i>Allium crenulatum</i> Species of flowering plant

Allium crenulatum, common name Olympic onion, is a plant species native to Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. It grows in the Cascades, the Coast Ranges, the Olympic Mountains, the Wenatchee Mountains, and the mountains on Vancouver Island. There is one report from Alabama, but this needs verification. The species grows on talus slopes and in alpine tundra at elevations of 600–2500 m.

<i>Galium oreganum</i> Species of plant

Galium oreganum is a plant species in the family Rubiaceae. It is native to British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and northern California.

References

  1. 1 2 Flora of North America v 26 p 276, Allium robinsonii
  2. BONAP (Biota of North America Project) floristic synthesis, Allium robinsonii
  3. Wildflowers, Turner Photographics, Mike Turner, 2013
  4. "Gardening Europe, Allium robinsonii". Archived from the original on 2014-03-15. Retrieved 2014-03-14.
  5. Henderson, Louis Forniquet. 1930. Rhodora 32(374): 22.
  6. photo of herbarium specimen at Missouri Botanical Garden, isotype of Allium robinsonii
  7. Hitchcock, C. H., A.J. Cronquist, F. M. Ownbey & J. W. Thompson. 1969. Vascular Cryptogams, Gymnosperms, and Monocotyledons. 1: 1–914. In C. L. Hitchcock, Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press, Seattle.
  8. Onions East of the Cascade Mountains, Paul Schlichter, Robinson's onion, 2007
  9. Taylor, Ronald J. (1994) [1992]. Sagebrush Country: A Wildflower Sanctuary (rev. ed.). Missoula, MT: Mountain Press Pub. Co. p. 76. ISBN   0-87842-280-3. OCLC   25708726.