Allium obtusum var. obtusum
Red sierra onion
Family: Alliaceae · Type: perennial · Native
Red sierra onion is a California native perennial found in northern Coast Ranges, high Cascades, northern and central Sierra Nevada Forests, and Sierra Nevada at elevations of 1,500 to 3,500 meters in granitic sand habitats. Flowering from May to June, this plant produces white flowers in clusters containing 6 to 30 blooms, with perianth parts that are oblong-elliptic and obtuse. Growing with slender stems up to 25 centimeters tall, it emerges from underground bulbs. Its leaves are narrow and channeled, typically 1 to 2 in number and 1.5 to 4 times the length of the stem. The plant thrives in open, sandy mountain environments, creating delicate white floral displays among rocky, high-elevation landscapes.
Habitat: Common. Granitic sands
Bloom period: May-Jun
Elevation: 1500-3500 m
Bioregions: NCoRI, CaRH, n&c SNF, SNH
California counties: Tulare, Fresno, Alpine, El Dorado, Tuolumne, Shasta, Madera, Placer, Nevada, Mariposa, Amador, Mendocino, Siskiyou, Mono, Plumas, Sierra, Butte, Tehama, Calaveras, Inyo
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.