Prairie onion facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Prairie onion |
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Scientific classification | |
Synonyms | |
Synonymy
Allium angulosum Pursh 1813, illegitimate homonym not L. 1753
Allium aridum Rydb. Allium geyeri var. textile (A. Nelson & J.F. Macbr.) B. Boivin Allium reticulatum Fraser ex G. Don 1827, illegitimate homonym, not J. Presl & C. Presl 1817 Allium reticulatum var. playanum M.E. Jones Maligia laxa Raf. |
Allium textile (prairie onion or textile onion) is a common species of wild onion found in the central part of North America.
Description
A. textile produces egg-shaped bulbs up to 2.5 cm long. There are no rhizomes. Scapes are round in cross-section, up to 40 cm tall. Flowers are bell-shaped or urn-shaped, about 6 mm in diameter; tepals white or pink with reddish-brown midribs; pollen and anthers yellow.
Taxonomy
A. textile is placed within section Amerallium, subgenus Amerallium.
Distribution and habitat
The native range of A. textile extends across the Great Plains states from Oklahoma to Montana and Minnesota, plus the Rocky Mountain and Great Basin states from northern New Mexico to Washington, plus the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. There is also a report of an isolated population in Indiana. Allium textile grows on dry, sunlit locations at elevations of 300–2400 m.