Hansen's Northwest Native Plant Database


Allium acuminatum (Hooker’s Onion, Taper Tip Onion)

Kingdom

 Plantae – Plants

Subkingdom

 Tracheobionta – Vascular plants

Superdivision

 Spermatophyta – Seed plants

Division

 Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants

Class

 Liliopsida – Monocotyledons

Subclass

 Liliidae

Order

 Liliales

Family

 Liliaceae – Lily family

Genus

 Allium L. – onion

Species

 Allium acuminatum Hook. – tapertip onion

A wild onion found mainly in the western states from British Columbia to California as well as regions of Idaho and Utah.

At first glance, this allium looks much like other wild onions; but there are some differences. It is found in clusters, and the grass-like leaves wither before it blooms.

The flowers of Hooker’s Onion are usually bright pink but can be white on occasion and are have tepals that are turned upward. Blooms April - July.

All parts of the plant have a classic onion odor and were occasionally used as a food source for coastal Indians.

Tapertip Onion bulbs can be planted in either spring or fall in a dry open sunny location. They will tolerate some moisture, providing the soil is well drained; but are happiest in a dry habitat.

They are important in habitat restoration and for aesthetic purposes in USDA zones 3-9.

    
     
Photos We Share!

It is our pleasure to share the photographs in this section with you under the Creative Commons License (see link below for details). We retain ownership of the photos but you may use them freely as long as you credit our website for them.

                 

              

Creative Commons License
These photos by http://www.nwplants.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Contact:  nwplants@gmail.com ~ Copyright 2016 © The Wild Garden: Hansen’s Northwest Native Plant Database  ~ All rights reserved