Allium stellatum

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Allium stellatum
Allium stellatum TN.jpg
Status TNC G5.svg
Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Amaryllidaceae
Subfamily: Allioideae
Genus: Allium
Species:
A. stellatum
Binomial name
Allium stellatum
Synonyms
  • Stelmesus stellatus(Nutt. ex Ker Gawl.) Raf.
  • Hexonychia stellatum(Nutt. ex Ker Gawl.) Salisb.

Allium stellatum, commonly known as the autumn onion, prairie onion, [1] cliff onion, [2] or glade onion, [3] is a North American species of wild onion in the Amaryllidaceae family that is native to central Canada and the central United States.

Contents

Description

Allium stellatum is a perennial forming a bulb underground. An erect, leafless scape up to 30–60 centimetres (1–2 ft) tall arises from grass-like basal leaves that are up to 30 centimetres (1 ft) long. [4] [5] The leaves die back as the rounded umbel of pink to purple flowers [4] forms at the end of the scape in the summer. The umbel is approximately 5–8 centimetres (2–3 in) across, and each of the tiny flowers is slightly longer than 0.6 centimetres (.25 in), with 3 petals and 3 sepals that flare outward. [5] The bulbs are strongly flavored but edible. [4]

Etymology

The genus name Allium is from the classical Latin name for garlic. The species name stellatum is botanical Latin for "starry", and refers to the umbels. This species was described for science by John Bellenden Ker Gawler in 1813. [6] [7]

Distribution and habitat

The plant ranges from Ontario and Saskatchewan south to Tennessee and Texas. [8] [9] Allium stellatum grows in rocky, sandy soil. [10]

Ecology

A. stellatum attracts small bees and flies to its foliage. It probably is not eaten by native mammals because of its strong scent and taste. [2]

1913 illustration. Allium stellatum illustration.svg
1913 illustration.

Related Research Articles

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

Allium drummondii, also known as Drummond's onion, wild garlic and prairie onion, is a North American species of onion native to the southern Great Plains of North America. It is found in South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, and northeastern Mexico.

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

Allium canadense, the Canada onion, Canadian garlic, wild garlic, meadow garlic and wild onion is a perennial plant native to eastern North America from Texas to Florida to New Brunswick to Montana. The species is also cultivated in other regions as an ornamental and as a garden culinary herb. The plant is also reportedly naturalized in Cuba.

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

Allium ampeloprasum is a member of the onion genus Allium. The wild plant is commonly known as wild leek or broadleaf wild leek. Its native range is southern Europe to western Asia, but it is cultivated in many other places and has become naturalized in many countries.

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

Allium sphaerocephalon is a plant species in the Amaryllis family known as round-headed leek, round-headed garlic, ball-head onion, and other variations on these names. Drumstick allium is another common name applied to this species. Some publications use the alternate spelling Allium sphaerocephalum. It is a bulbous herbaceous perennial plant.

<i>Allium neapolitanum</i> Species of plant

Allium neapolitanum is a bulbous herbaceous perennial plant in the onion subfamily within the Amaryllis family. Common names include Neapolitan garlic, Naples garlic, daffodil garlic, false garlic, flowering onion, Naples onion, Guernsey star-of-Bethlehem, star, white garlic, and wood garlic.

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

Allium anceps, known as twinleaf onion and Kellogg's onion, is a species of wild onion native to the western United States. It is widespread in Nevada, extending into adjacent parts of California, Idaho, and Oregon. It grows in barren clay and rocky soils.

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

Allium monanthum, the Korean wild chive, is a spring vegetable with minuscule bulbous roots that have a mild onion flavor and found in the woodlands of Korea, Japan, northeastern Russia (Primorye), and northeastern China.

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

Allium cernuum, known as nodding onion or lady's leek, is a perennial plant in the genus Allium. It grows in open areas in North America.

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

Allium textile is a common species of wild onion found in the central part of North America.

<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 parishii</i> Species of flowering plant

Allium parishii is an uncommon species of wild onion known by the common name Parish's onion. It is native to the Mojave Desert and Sonoran Deserts of California and Arizona. It grows on open dry, rocky slopes at elevations of 900–1,400 m (3,000–4,600 ft).

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

Allium yosemitense is a California species of wild onion known by the common name Yosemite onion. Most of the known populations are situated within the boundaries of Yosemite National Park.

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 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.

Allium kurssanovii is a species of wild onion native to Central Asia. It grows on cliff faces and other sun-lit locations at elevations of 2200–2700 m.

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

Allium macranthum is an Asian species of wild onion native to Bhutan, Sikkim, Gansu, Shaanxi, Sichuan and Tibet. It grows in wet places at elevations of 2700–4200 metres.

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

Allium nutans, English common name Siberian chives or blue chives, is a species of onion native to European Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Tibet, Xinjiang, and Asiatic Russia. It grows in wet meadows and other damp locations.

Allium petraeum is an Asian species of wild onion native to Xinjiang, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan. It occurs on cliff faces and other sun-lit rocky places.

Allium spirale, also known as Korean aging chive, is a plant species native to Korea, Primorye, and parts of China. It is cultivated in many other regions and has for some reason obtained the common name German garlic. Other common names include spiral onion, corkscrew onion, and curly chives.

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

Allium tulipifolium is an Asian species of wild onion native to Xinjiang, Kazakhstan and Altay Krai. It is found at elevations of 600–1000 m.

References

  1. "Allium stellatum". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 2010-03-20.
  2. 1 2 "Cliff Onion (Allium stellatum)". www.illinoiswildflowers.info.
  3. "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org.
  4. 1 2 3 "Allium stellatum". Native Plant Database. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, University of Texas at Austin . Retrieved 2010-03-24.
  5. 1 2 "Allium stellatum - Plant Finder". www.missouribotanicalgarden.org.
  6. Kantrud, Harold A. (1995). "Pink Wild Onion (Allium stellatum)". Native Wildflowers of the North Dakota Grasslands. Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center. Archived from the original on 2014-08-13. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
  7. Nuttall, Thomas, ex Ker Gawler, John Bellenden. 1813 Botanical Register 38: plate 1576
  8. McNeal Jr., Dale W.; Jacobsen, T. D. (2002). "Allium stellatum". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 26. New York and Oxford via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  9. "Allium stellatum". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014.
  10. "Allium stellatum". Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point. Archived from the original on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
  11. Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. 3 vols. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. Vol. 1: 498