genus Allium
Member of
amaryllis family (family Amaryllidaceae)
monocots (class Liliopsida)
flowering plants (subphylum Angiospermae)
Except for old historical records and extremely rare examples that I don't expect to encounter, there are no other wild species of this genus in the bay area.
Caution: The key to distinguish these species is not complete.
A major distinguishing feature is the outer bulb coat cell structure. So an ID may be impossible without digging up a plant.
Other key features:
All onions can be pink/purple to white, so color is not a strong ID feature.
fringed onion
Allium fimbriatum
serpentine onion
Allium diabolense
The Jepson key for these uses bulb characteristics. TBD.
bolander’s onion
Allium bolanderi
hooker’s onion
Allium acuminatum
narrowleaf onion
Allium amplectens
Toxicity of wild garlic, wild onion (Allium spp.):
1 – Skin contact with these plants can cause symptoms ranging from redness, itching, and rash to painful blisters like skin burns.
3 – Ingestion of these plants is expected to cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and other symptoms that may cause illness but is not life-threatening.
5 observed taxons / 9 unobserved taxons / 1 key
Locations: Months: For more details, use advanced search.
Chris’s observations: 26 (25 are research grade)
Taxon info: iNaturalist – Calflora – Jepson eFlora – FNA
Bay Area species: iNaturalist – Calflora
