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Allium platycaule
Also called Flat Stem Onion
Broadstemmed onion is a wild bulbous species native to high-elevation slopes of northeastern California, south-central Oregon and northwestern Nevada, grown from a small bulb with a flattened stem and a dense pink to magenta flower ball. It is a specialist for cultivation, best grown in a well-drained rock garden or bulb bed that mimics its dry summer conditions.
Allium platycaule is a species of wild onion known as 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 2 to 3 cm (3⁄4 to 1+1⁄4 in) wide. Scape is thin and strongly flattened, up to 25 cm (9+3⁄4 in) long but rarely more than 7 mm (1⁄4 in) 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.
The leaves, bulbs, and seeds were utilized as food by the Northern Paiute people.
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 platycaule 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.
