Allium validum
Pacific mountain onion
(c) Darrin Gobble, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Alliaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Allium validum (Pacific mountain onion) is a native California herb in the Alliaceae family, recognized by distinctive large size, wet meadow habitat, angled stems.
Pacific mountain onion is a California native perennial found in northwestern California, Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, and Warner Mountains in wet meadows at elevations of 1,200 to 3,400 meters. Flowering from June to August, this plant produces rose to white flowers in clusters of 15 to 40 blooms, with delicate narrowly lanceolate perianth parts. Growing with tall stems 50 to 100 centimeters high that are distinctly angled, it emerges from a clustered oblong-ovoid bulb 3 to 5 centimeters long with a fine-striate brown outer coating. Its leaves are 3 to 6 in number, roughly equal in length to the stem and either flat or slightly keeled. The plant forms dense clusters on short, stout rhizomes, creating distinctive patches in mountain meadow environments.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 38 sympatric species; distinctive large size, wet meadow habitat, angled stems
Habitat and range
Habitat: Common. Wet meadows, often with
Elevation: 1200-3400 m
California counties: Alpine, Mono, El Dorado, Fresno, Tulare, Tuolumne, Plumas, Trinity, Inyo, Mariposa, Nevada, Siskiyou, Lake, Madera, Butte, Placer, Los Angeles, Modoc, Kern, Amador, Tehama, Glenn, Sierra, Mendocino, Monterey, Santa Clara, Humboldt, Alameda, Del Norte
Outside California: to British Columbia, Idaho, Nevada
Bloom period
Allium validum blooms Jun-Aug.
How to tell it apart
vs Triteleia: Allium smells like onion when crushed; triplet lily has no smell.; vs Agapanthus: Allium smells like onion; lily-of-the-Nile has no smell and much larger flowers.; vs Dipterostemon: Allium smells like onion when crushed; ookow has no onion smell.; vs Nothoscordum: Allium smells like onion when crushed; false garlic has no smell.; vs Tulbaghia: Allium has flowers in tight umbels; society garlic has flowers in loose open clusters.
Frequently asked questions
Is Allium validum native to California?
Yes. Allium validum is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Allium validum bloom?
Allium validum blooms Jun-Aug.
Where in California does Allium validum grow?
Allium validum occurs in Alpine, Mono, El Dorado, Fresno, Tulare, Tuolumne, Plumas, Trinity and other counties, at elevations of 1200-3400 m.
What plant family does Allium validum belong to?
Allium validum is in the Alliaceae family, genus Allium.
What habitat does Allium validum grow in?
Allium validum grows in Common. Wet meadows, often with.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.