Allium lacunosum
Pitted onion
(c) Matt Berger, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Alliaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Allium lacunosum (Pitted onion) is a native California herb in the Alliaceae family.
Pitted onion is a California native perennial found in dry, rocky areas at moderate elevations. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces delicate white to pale pink flowers in small clusters with 5 to 45 individual blossoms. Growing 10 to 35 centimeters tall with two slender, cylindric or flat leaves, it has a distinctive small bulb 1 to 2 centimeters wide with a complex outer coating of thick-walled, square or polygonal cells. Its narrow flower parts are oblanceolate to narrowly ovate, standing erect or slightly spreading. The plant's ovary has three tiny, two-lobed central crests that are densely covered with fine papillae.
Habitat and range
California counties: Monterey, San Bernardino, San Diego, Riverside, San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles, Santa Clara, Kern, San Benito, Inyo, Marin, Calaveras, Santa Barbara, San Mateo, Merced, Stanislaus, Ventura, Butte
How to tell it apart
vs Triteleia: Allium smells like onion when crushed; triplet lily has no smell.; vs Agapanthus: Allium smells like onion; lily-of-the-Nile has no smell and much larger flowers.; vs Dipterostemon: Allium smells like onion when crushed; ookow has no onion smell.; vs Nothoscordum: Allium smells like onion when crushed; false garlic has no smell.; vs Tulbaghia: Allium has flowers in tight umbels; society garlic has flowers in loose open clusters.
Frequently asked questions
Is Allium lacunosum native to California?
Yes. Allium lacunosum is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Allium lacunosum grow?
Allium lacunosum occurs in Monterey, San Bernardino, San Diego, Riverside, San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles, Santa Clara, Kern and other counties.
What plant family does Allium lacunosum belong to?
Allium lacunosum is in the Alliaceae family, genus Allium.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.