Allium geyeri var. tenerum

Bulbil onion

Family: Alliaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.1

Bulbil onion is a rare (CNPS 2B.1) California native perennial found in meadows, rocky seeps, and streambanks at elevations around 1,495 meters. Flowering in May, this plant produces delicate white to pink flowers in small clusters with many flowers replaced by nearly sessile bulblets. Growing 10 to 50 centimeters tall with cylindric or angled stems, it develops in clustered groups with an ovoid or elongate bulb covered in a coarsely fibrous-net-like outer coat. Its leaves are thin and straight, measuring 1 to 3 millimeters wide, with three or more leaves typically growing shorter than the stem. The plant produces small flowers 4 to 10 millimeters long, with perianth parts ranging from white to soft pink.

Habitat: Meadows, rocky seeps, streambanks

Bloom period: May

Elevation: 1495 m

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.