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Himalayan Onion

Allium wallichii

Himalayan Onion
Photo: Averater, CC BY 4.0

Allium wallichii is a bulbous wild onion from the Himalayan and southwest Chinese mountains, growing at 2300 to 4800 m. It is a hardy, cold-tolerant geophyte grown mainly for its showy umbels of white to purple flowers.

Family
Amaryllidaceae (Daffodil & onion family)
Grows as
Bulb
Light
Full sun
Water
Water moderately during the growing season and keep almost dry after the foliage dies back.
Soil
Free-draining, gritty soil or loam with good drainage.
Temperature
Hardy to around -15 °C; tolerates cold winters but needs cool, dry summers.
How easy
Moderate
Edible
Yes, some parts
Native range
Pakistan to S. China and N. Indo-China
Climate
temperate

About

Allium wallichii is a plant species native to India, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, Myanmar, and parts of China (Guangxi, Guizhou, Hunan, Sichuan, Tibet, Xizang, Yunnan). It grows at elevations of 2300–4800 m.

Allium wallichii has elongate roots and clusters of narrow bulbs. Scapes are up to 110 cm tall, triangular in cross-section. Leaves are flat, up to 20 mm across, usually shorter than the scape. Flowers are white, pink, red, dark purple (sometimes almost black).

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 wallichii 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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