About Allium atrosanguineum Schrenk
Allium atrosanguineum is an Asian onion species native to China, Siberia, Mongolia, and Central Asia. It grows at high mountain elevations ranging from 2400 to 5400 meters. This species produces cylindrical bulbs up to 10 mm in diameter. Its scapes are round in cross-section, growing up to 60 cm tall. Leaves are also round in cross-section, and are usually shorter than the scapes. The umbels appear spherical when viewed from a distance, and bear many flowers. Tepals can be pink, yellow, copper-colored, brass-colored or purple, and sometimes have small dark spots. Three varieties of Allium atrosanguineum are generally recognized. Allium atrosanguineum var. atrosanguineum has purple-red tepals with small spots, and is distributed in western China (Qinghai, Sichuan, Xinjiang), Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan), Pakistan, Siberia (Tuva, Buryatiya, Krasnoyarsk, Zabaykalsky Krai), and Mongolia. Allium atrosanguineum var. fedschenkoanum (Regel) G.H.Zhu & Turland has pale yellow or pink tepals, and grows in Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan), Pakistan, Tibet, and Xinjiang. Allium atrosanguineum var. tibeticum (Regel) G.H.Zhu & Turland has copper-colored or brass-colored tepals, and is found in Western China (Tibet, Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan, Yunnan).
