Dusky onion facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dusky onion |
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The Dusky Onion (Allium campanulatum) is a type of wild onion. It is also known as the Sierra Onion. This flowering plant grows naturally in the western United States. You can find it from southeastern Washington and northern Oregon. It also grows down to southern California and western Nevada. The Dusky Onion likes dry places in hills and mountains. It often grows in areas called chaparral, which have tough shrubs.
What Does the Dusky Onion Look Like?
The Dusky Onion, Allium campanulatum, grows from a round, gray-brown bulb. This bulb is like a small underground storage unit. It is about 1 to 2 centimeters wide. Sometimes, tiny underground stems called rhizomes grow from the bulb. These can also make small new bulblets, which are like baby bulbs.
The plant has a strong stem that stands tall. It usually has two long, thin leaves. These leaves often dry up and disappear before the flowers open. At the top of the stem, there is a cluster of flowers called an inflorescence. This cluster can have anywhere from 10 to 50 flowers.
Each flower is small, about half a centimeter to one centimeter wide. The flowers can be pink, purple, or sometimes white. Each petal-like part, called a tepal, has a dark spot at its base. The tepals can be different shapes. Some are narrow and pointy, while others are wider, like a spade. Inside the flower, the parts that hold pollen, called anthers, are purple. The pollen itself is yellow.
See also
In Spanish: Allium campanulatum para niños
