Allium cernuum var. cernuum

Native

Minnesota threatened species

Moist to dry. Prairies, hillsides, dry woods, rock banks. Full sun.

July to September

White to pink

1′ to 2′

This is an erect perennial forb rising from 2 to 5, sometimes more, clustered bulbs.

The bulbs are ⅜″ to 1⅛″ tall, ⅓″ to ⅔″ wide, elongate, slender, and cone-shaped. They are encased in a brownish or grayish membranous coating. They gradually taper to the stem.

Three to five basal leaves arise near together at the soil surface forming a basal rosette. They are shorter than the stem. They are 4″ to 18″ long, about ⅛″ wide, linear, flat, soft, and solid, with a small ridge running the length of the blade. They sheath the stem near the soil surface. They remain after the flowers are fully formed.

A single, leafless, flowering stem (scape) rises from the center of the rosette of leaves. When in bud, the scape bends downward (nods) at the top, and the umbel faces toward the ground. The scape is permanently nodding. By the time the flowers are mature the umbel faces upward on the still bent scape.

The inflorescence is a single umbrella-like flowering cluster at the top of the scape. The cluster is shaped like half of a sphere. It has 8 to 35 flowers and no bulblets. There are two bracts at the base of the cluster that soon fall off. When in bud, the cluster bends downward (nods) at the top of the scape. When the flowers are fully mature the scape is still (permanently) nodding, but the flowers may become erect or semi-erect.

The flowers are ¼″ wide and bell-shaped. They are composed of 6 white to pink tepals (3 petals and 3 sepals that are similar in appearance). They are on ¼″ to 1″ long flower stalks, the inner ones on shorter stalks, the outer ones on longer stalks, like an umbrella. There is no floral fragrance, but the bulb and foliage have an onion-like scent.

The fruit is a seed capsule. The pedicels become stouter with the fruit, growing longer and bending abruptly upright from near the point of attachment.

Meadow garlic (Allium canadense var. canadense) blooms much earlier, May to June. The scape never nods. It has 3 to 6 basally-sheathed leaves, attached only in the lower quarter or third of the stem. The leaves are flat and soft. Most or all of the flowers in the inflorescence have been replaced with bulblets. The flowers are ½″ wide.

Prairie onion (Allium stellatum) has egg-shaped bulbs. The leaves are stiff. The scape nods when the flowers are in bud but becomes erect by the time the flowers are fully open. The individual flowers of prairie onion are star-shaped.

Textile onion (Allium textile) is a shorter plant, reacing only 4″ to 12″ at maturity. It blooms much earlier, May to June. It has only 1 or 2 basal leaves. The leaves are half-round, more or less straight, and solid, with a wide, rounded channel running the length of the blade. The scape is erect, not nodding, and does not rise above the level of the leaves. The tepals are white, only rarely pink, and have red or reddish-brown midribs.

Sources: 2, 3*, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.

*The USDA PLANTS database shows this species present in 62 counties in Minnesota. All other sources show this species to be much rarer. The map at left does not include results from the PLANTS database.