''Allium crispum'' is a species of
wild onion Wild onion can refer to
* any uncultivated species in the genus '' Allium'', especially:
**'' Allium bisceptrum''
** '' Allium canadense''
** ''Allium tricoccum
''Allium tricoccum'' (commonly known as ramp, ramps, ramson, wild leek, wood leek, o ...
known by the common name crinkled onion. It is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
to
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, where it grows along the
Central Coast in the
Coast Ranges
The Pacific Coast Ranges (officially gazetted as the Pacific Mountain System in the United States) are the series of mountain ranges that stretch along the West Coast of North America from Alaska south to Northern and Central Mexico. Although th ...
and in the
Santa Monica Mountains
The Santa Monica Mountains is a coastal mountain range in Southern California, next to the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Transverse Ranges. Because of its proximity to densely populated regions, it is one of the most visited natural areas in ...
, often in clays and
serpentine soils.
[Flora of North America v 26 p 264, ''Allium crispum''](_blank)
/ref> It is a perennial herb that is typically found in the foothill woodlands and valley grasslands of California.
Description
''Allium crispum'' grows from a bulb one to one and a half centimeters wide and sends up naked green stems topped with inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...
s of many flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...
s, each on a short pedicel
Pedicle or pedicel may refer to:
Human anatomy
*Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures
...
. The flowers are magenta in color and have six triangular tepal
A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of very ...
s. The inner three tepals are smaller and crinkled like cloth and may curl under. Anthers and pollen are yellow.
Gallery
Alliaceae Allium crisoum Crinkled Onion.jpg
Allium crispum 1.jpg
Allium crispum 2.jpg
Allium crispum 4.jpg
File:Allumcrispuminsun.jpg
See also
*California montane chaparral and woodlands
The California montane chaparral and woodlands is an ecoregion defined by the World Wildlife Fund, spanning of mountains in the Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, and Coast Ranges of southern and central California. The ecoregion is part of ...
References
External links
Jepson Manual Treatment — ''Allium crispum''USDA Plants Profile: ''Allium crispum''''Allium crispum'' - U.C. Photo gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allium Crispum
crispum
Endemic flora of California
Natural history of the California Coast Ranges
Onions
Plants described in 1888
Taxa named by Edward Lee Greene