Allium tribracteatum

Three-bracted onion, three-bracted onion, three-bracted onion

Family: Alliaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Three-bracted onion is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native perennial found in central Sierra Nevada Mountains in Tuolumne County on volcanic slopes at elevations of 1,300 to 1,900 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces white to purple flowers in clusters of 10 to 30 blooms, each approximately 6 to 8 millimeters long with lanceolate perianth parts. Growing with very short stems 2 to 7 centimeters tall, it emerges from a small ovoid bulb 1 to 2 centimeters in size. Its two leaves are distinctively channeled and significantly longer than the stem, measuring 1.5 to 3 times the stem's length. The plant's minute three-crested ovary and uniquely curved outer bulb coat cells make it a distinctive member of the onion genus.

Habitat: Volcanic slopes

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: 1300-1900(3000) m

Bioregions: c SNH (Tuolumne Co.).

California counties: Tuolumne, Kern, Alpine, Amador, Nevada, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, El Dorado, San Benito, Placer, Calaveras, Alameda

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