Red Sierra onion facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Red Sierra onion
Scientific classification

The Allium obtusum is a type of wild onion often called the red Sierra onion or subalpine onion. It grows naturally in eastern California and western Nevada. You can find it in the rocky hills and mountains of the Sierra Nevada and the southern Cascade Range. It grows from Tulare County up to Siskiyou County. This plant lives at heights from about 2,600 feet (800 meters) to 11,500 feet (3,500 meters). In Nevada, it has only been found in Washoe County.

What Does the Red Sierra Onion Look Like?

The red Sierra onion grows from a small, round bulb that is about one or two centimeters wide. It has a stem called a scape that can be from 2 to 17 centimeters (about 1 to 7 inches) tall. Unlike some other onions, its leaves stay green even when the flowers bloom.

At the top of the scape, there's a cluster of up to 60 flowers. This cluster is shaped like an umbrella and is called an umbel. Each flower can be 4 to 12 millimeters wide. The flower petals, called tepals, can be white, purple, or pink. They often have dark purple lines in the middle. The parts that hold pollen, called anthers, can be yellow or purple. The pollen itself is purple.

Different Kinds of Red Sierra Onion

Scientists have found two main types, or varieties, of the red Sierra onion:

• Allium obtusum var. obtusum
  • This type has leaves that are 0.5 to 4.0 millimeters wide.
  • Its tepals are white with dark lines in the middle.
  • This is the most common type and is found across most of the plant's range.

• Allium obtusum var. conspicuum
  • This type has wider leaves, from 2 to 14 millimeters wide.
  • Its tepals are pink with darker lines in the middle.
  • You can find this variety from the Lake Tahoe area up to the Mount Lassen area.