Kingdom Plantae Clade Monocots Family Amaryllidaceae Scientific name Allium platycaule Rank Species | Clade Angiosperms Order Asparagales Subfamily Allioideae Higher classification Onions | |
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Similar Allium bolanderi, Allium tuolumnense, Allium shevockii, Allium siskiyouense, Allium validum | ||
Allium platycaule is a species of wild onion known by the common name broadstemmed onion or flat-stem onion. It is native to northeastern California, south-central Oregon (Lake County) and northwestern Nevada (Washoe and Humboldt Counties). It is found on slopes of elevations of 1500–2500 m.
Allium platycaule grows from a gray bulb two to three centimeters wide. Scape is thin and strongly flattened, up to 25 cm long but rarely more than 7 mm across. It may be thicker along the midrib and much narrower along the sides. The long, flat leaves are sickle-shaped. Atop the stem is an umbel which may have as many as 90 flowers in it. Each flower may be up to a centimeter and a half wide but the tepals are quite narrow so as to be almost threadlike. The inflorescence therefore may appear be a dense ball of filaments. The flowers are generally bright pink to magenta with yellow anthers.
Uses
The leaves, bulbs, and seeds were utilized as food by the Paiute people.