Allium punctum

Dotted onion, dotted onion, dotted onion

Family: Alliaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.2

Dotted onion is a rare (CNPS 2B.2) California native perennial found in the Modoc Plateau in rocky flats at elevations of 1,200 to 1,600 meters. Flowering from May to June, this plant produces white to pink flowers in clusters of 6 to 20 blooms, each flower 6 to 13 millimeters long with lance-oblong perianth parts. Growing with slender stems 3 to 10 centimeters tall, it emerges from a small ovoid bulb 1 to 2 centimeters wide with a brown to yellow-brown outer coating. Its two distinctive leaves are flat and sickle-shaped, measuring about 1.5 to 2 times the stem length. The ovary features three wide, low central crests, giving this delicate onion species its unique botanical character.

Habitat: Rocky flats

Bloom period: May-Jun

Elevation: 1200-1600 m

Bioregions: MP

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