Wild Onion

(Allium stellatum)

 

   

 

 

Color Photograph: Paul Jackson, Cedar Creek Natural History Area, LTER, U.S. Dept. Energy and National Science Foundation.

Line Drawing: Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada, Second Edition.

 

Wild Onion (Allium stellatum Nutt. ex Ker Gawl.)

Identification: Flowers lavender in a large, showy globular flower head. Leaves grasslike. Plant arises from a bulb strongly smelling of onion. Plant 1 to 2 feet in height.

Distribution: Primarily a midwestern species, but extending eastward to Michigan, Tennessee, and North Carolina.

Habitat: Wild Onion is found in rocky soil, along lake and river shores, and in prairie vegetation.

Flowering period: July to August.

Similar Species: The large, globular, lavender flower head is distinctive for this species.

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