Allium lacunosum var. micranthum

Small flowered pitted onion

Family: Alliaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Small flowered pitted onion is a California native perennial found in southern Coast Ranges, San Bernardino Mountains, and Peninsular Ranges in dry rocky hillsides, including serpentine areas at elevations of 300 to 600 meters. Flowering from April to May, this plant produces small white to pale pink flowers in open clusters with generally 10 to 30 flowers. Growing with slender stems approximately 15 to 30 centimeters tall, it develops an open, delicate inflorescence. Its leaves are narrow and grass-like, typical of onion species, emerging from a small underground bulb. The flower clusters feature three distinctive bracts, with individual flowers measuring 4 to 6 millimeters across.

Habitat: Uncommon. Dry rocky hillsides, including serpentine

Bloom period: Apr-May

Elevation: 300-600 m

Bioregions: SCoR, SnBr, PR.

California counties: San Luis Obispo, San Benito, Monterey, San Diego, Riverside, Santa Barbara, Kern, San Bernardino

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