Allium sanbornii var. sanbornii

Sanborn's onion, Sanborn's onion, Sanborn's onion

Family: Alliaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.2

Sanborn's onion is a rare (CNPS 4.2) California native perennial found in the northern and central Sierra Nevada Foothill and Sierra Nevada Forest bioregions on serpentine outcrops at elevations of 300 to 1,400 meters. Flowering from June to August, this plant produces white to pale pink flowers with perianth parts that appear long and jaggedly acuminate due to inrolled margins. Growing with slender stems emerging from underground bulbs, it forms delicate clumps in rocky serpentine landscapes. Its leaves are narrow and linear, typical of onion species, emerging from the base of the plant. The flowers display an intriguing structural characteristic with inner perianth parts approximately 1.3 times longer than the outer parts, creating a subtle asymmetry.

Habitat: Serpentine outcrops

Bloom period: Jun-Aug

Elevation: 300-1400 m

Bioregions: CaRF, n&ampc SNF

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