Allium anceps

Twinleaf onion
Apparently Secure
Apparently Secure (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Embryophytes
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Amaryllidaceae
Subfamily: Allioideae
Genus: Allium
Subgenus: A. subg. Amerallium
Species:
A. anceps
Binomial name
Allium anceps

Allium anceps, known as twinleaf onion[2] and Kellogg's onion,[3] is a species of wild onion native to the western United States. It is widespread in Nevada, extending into adjacent parts of California, Idaho, and Oregon.[3] It grows in barren clay and rocky soils.[3][4][5]

Flowering plants

This perennial herb produces a flowering scape from a bulb up to 2 cm (3⁄4 in) long and wide. There are up to 5 bulbs, sometimes wrapped together in the brown or yellow-brown outer coat. There are two flat, smooth-edged, sickle-shaped leaves up to 26 cm (10 in) long. The scape is erect, up to 15 cm (6 in) tall, and flattened with winged edges. It bears an umbel of 15 to 35 flowers with two spathes at the base. The star-shaped flower is roughly 1 cm (1⁄3 in) wide with six greenish-veined pink tepals. The six stamens are tipped with yellow anthers bearing yellow pollen. Once the seeds mature the scape dies and breaks off, usually along with the leaves.[5][6]

The bulbs are edible and were a food source for the Northern Paiute, who roasted them and pressed them into cakes.[7]

Taxonomy

Allium anceps was scientifically described and named by Albert Kellogg in 1861. It is part of the Allium genus which is classified in the Amaryllidaceae. The species has no varieties or botanical synonyms.[8]

References

  1. ↑ NatureServe (31 July 2026). "Allium anceps". NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 10 August 2026.
  2. ↑ Allium anceps. USDA PLANTS.
  3. 1 2 3 Allium anceps.[link removed] NatureServe. 2012.
  4. ↑ Allium anceps. The Jepson eFlora 2013.
  5. 1 2 Allium anceps. Flora of North America.
  6. ↑ Kellogg, Albert. 1863. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 2: 109, f. 32.
  7. ↑ Allium anceps. Native American Ethnobotany. University of Michigan, Dearborn.
  8. ↑ POWO (2026). "Allium anceps Kellogg". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 10 August 2026.
  • Wikimedia Commons logo Media related to Allium anceps at Wikimedia Commons
  • Wikispecies logo Data related to Allium anceps at Wikispecies
  • Allium anceps in the CalPhotos photo database, University of California, Berkeley
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.