Allium plummerae facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Allium plummerae |
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The Allium plummerae is a special kind of wild onion plant. It is also known as Plummer's onion or Tanner's Canyon onion. You can find this plant growing naturally in parts of southern Arizona in the United States. It also grows in Sonora, a state in Mexico.
This unique onion likes to live in high places. It grows on rocky slopes and along stream banks in mountain areas. You can find it at elevations between 1,600 and 2,800 meters (about 5,250 to 9,200 feet) above sea level.
What Does Plummer's Onion Look Like?
Plummer's onion grows from a long, thin bulb. A bulb is like a small, round storage part of the plant, similar to the onion you might eat. These bulbs can be up to 5 centimeters (about 2 inches) long. However, they are usually quite thin, less than 1.5 centimeters (about half an inch) wide.
The Flowers of Plummer's Onion
The flowers of Allium plummerae are small but pretty. Each flower can be up to 10 millimeters (about 0.4 inches) across. The petals, which are called tepals in onions, can be white or a soft pink color.
Inside the flowers, you'll see purple anthers. Anthers are the parts of the flower that hold the pollen. The pollen itself is bright yellow. Pollen is a fine powder that helps plants make seeds.
How Did It Get Its Name?
The scientific name "plummerae" was given to this onion to honor a special person. It is named after Sara Plummer Lemmon. She was a botanist, which is a scientist who studies plants. Sara Plummer Lemmon was part of the group that first found and collected these onion plants for scientific study.
