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Columbian onion

Allium columbianum

Columbian onion
Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain

Columbian onion is a small, native perennial bulb from the Pacific Northwest that grows in seasonally wet, shallow soils. It thrives with cool, moist conditions in spring and can be grown in a garden or naturalized area.

Family
Amaryllidaceae (Daffodil & onion family)
Grows as
Bulb, Perennial
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Keep soil moist during spring growth and let it dry out somewhat after flowering.
Soil
Well-drained but moisture-retentive soil, or gritty loam with good drainage.
Temperature
Hardy to about -20 °C; tolerates cold winters, prefers cool summers.
How easy
Easy
Edible
Yes, some parts
Native range
E. Washington to W. Montana
Climate
temperate

About

Allium columbianum, the Columbian onion, is a species of onion native to eastern Washington (Pend Oreille, Spokane, Lincoln and Whitman Counties), northern Idaho (Idaho, Clearwater, Latah and Kootenai Counties), and the Bitterroot Mountains of western Montana (Ravalli and Sanders Counties). It is a perennial herb that grows on shallow, wet soils at elevations of 300–1100 m.

Allium columbianum produces egg-shaped bulbs up to 15 mm long. Flowers are up to 10 mm across, pink to light purple with green midrib; anthers and pollen blue to gray. Flowers bloom May to July.

Other Allium plants

South Idaho onion · Abrams' allium · Allium aciphyllum · Tapertip onion · Allium aeginiense · Allium aflatunense · Allium agrigentinum · Allium alabasicum · Allium albotunicatum · Allium alibile · Altai Onion · Allium altissimum

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Allium columbianum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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