Allium acuminatum
Species of flowering plant
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Allium acuminatum, also known as the tapertip onion or Hooker's onion, is a species in the genus Allium native to North America.
| Tapertip onion | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Amaryllidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Allioideae |
| Genus: | Allium |
| Subgenus: | A. subg. Amerallium |
| Species: | A. acuminatum |
| Binomial name | |
| Allium acuminatum | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Distribution
It is found the Western United States and Canada. It has been reported from every state west of the Rocky Mountains, plus British Columbia.[2][3]
Description
Allium acuminatum produces bulbs that are spherical, less than 2 cm across and smelling like onions.[4] Scape is up to 40 cm tall, wearing an umbel of as many as 40 flowers. The flowers are pink to purple with yellow anthers.[2][5][6][7][8][9][10] The plant also produces two or three grooved leaves which tend to wither prior to bloom.[11] Its native habitats include open, rocky slopes, among brush and pines.[12]
The onions were eaten by first peoples in southern British Columbia. They were harvested in either early spring or late fall and usually cooked in pits.[4] Both the bulb and the flowering stalk are edible; however, in the culinary arts, the stalk possesses a more pleasant flavour.[4]
