Allium lemmonii

Lemmon's onion

Family: Alliaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Lemmon's onion is a California native perennial found in northern and central Sierra Nevada Mountains and Modoc Plateau in drying clay soils at elevations of 1,200 to 1,900 meters. Flowering from May to June, this plant produces delicate white to pink flowers in clusters of 10 to 40 blooms, each flower 6 to 9 millimeters long. Growing with flat, narrowly winged stems 15 to 20 centimeters tall, it emerges from an ovoid bulb 15 to 22 millimeters in size. Its two flat, sickle-shaped leaves are approximately equal in length to the stem, with an elegant, curved profile. The plant has an intricate bulb with outer cells arranged in vertical rows, giving it a distinctive textural quality.

Habitat: Common. Drying clay soils

Bloom period: May-Jun

Elevation: 1200-1900 m

Bioregions: n&ampc SNH, MP

California counties: Lassen, Plumas, Sierra, Alpine, Modoc, Nevada, Siskiyou, Placer, Shasta, Mono

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