About Allium platycaule S.Watson
Allium platycaule, commonly called the broadstemmed onion or flat-stem onion, is a species of wild onion. It is native to northeastern California, south-central Oregon’s Lake County, and the Washoe and Humboldt Counties of northwestern Nevada. This species grows on slopes at elevations between 1500 and 2500 m. It develops from a gray bulb that is 2 to 3 cm (¾ to 1¼ inches) wide. Its scape is thin, strongly flattened, and can grow up to 25 cm (9¾ inches) long, but it is rarely more than 7 mm (¼ inch) across. The scape is often thicker along its midrib and much narrower along its sides. The leaves of Allium platycaule are long, flat, and sickle-shaped. A single umbel holding up to 90 flowers grows atop the scape. Each flower can reach up to one and a half centimeters wide, but its tepals are very narrow, nearly threadlike. This gives the entire inflorescence the appearance of a dense ball of filaments. The flowers are typically bright pink to magenta, and they have yellow anthers. The Northern Paiute people historically used the leaves, bulbs, and seeds of this plant as food.
