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Wild Onion

Allium cernuum

The peduncle nods just below the flowering head, thus rendering the common name nodding onion.

Allium cernuum, Three Rivers Trail, Sierra Blanca, Lincoln County, New Mexico, 20 Jul 2010.

Allium cernuum, known as nodding onion or lady's leek, is a perennial plant in the genus Allium. It grows in open areas in North America.

Quick Facts
Scientific name Allium cernuum
Family Amaryllidaceae
Height 1-2 ft
Bloom time Jul-Aug
Sun Full sun to part shade
Moisture Dry to mesic
Soil Rocky loam
Wildlife value Nodding pink umbels; edible; good late-summer bee forage

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Image Credits

  • Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA (CC BY-SA 2.0)
  • Patrick Alexander from Las Cruces, NM (CC0)

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