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Allium bisceptrum
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Twin Crest Onion
( Allium bisceptrum )
Allium bisceptrum
More Photos at CalPhotos
More Info at Jepson eFlora
Calflora
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About Twin Crest Onion (Allium bisceptrum)
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Allium bisceptrum
, also known as the twincrest onion, is a high elevation plant native to western United States. It is a perennial that thrives under damp and shady conditions or open meadows in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Utah.
Allium bisceptrum
is used sometimes as food flavoring as their leaves may be very strong and odorous. Natives pray before picking the leaves of this plant. Many animals in the region, including elk, black bears and prairie dogs eat the bulbs of the wild onions. In California, A. bisceptrum is distributed throughout the counties of Alpine, El Dorado, Glenn, Inyo, Lassen, Mendocino, Mono, Modoc, Mariposa, Nevada, Plumas, San Bernardino, San Diego, Shasta, Sierra, Trinity, Tulare, and Tuolumne. It is also widely distributed in Nevada, Utah, Arizona, southeastern Oregon, and southern Idaho with isolated populations reported from northern Idaho and from southeastern Washington (Franklin County). The twincrest onion is a perennial at altitudes ranging from 2000 to 2900 meters. They grow up to anywhere between ten to forty cm high. The onion bulbs are round and egg-shaped. The bulbs have a light tint and when cut, has a powerful odor. Their flower heads are about 10-15 mm in length. The flowers are a lightly tinted purple. Each flower head contains usually six petals with pointed tips. Their flat leaves usually come in pairs of two or three and give off an odor when scratched. Habitat and ecology.
Allium bisceptrum
is found in forests dominated by yellow pine, red fir, and lodgepole pine, and wetland-riparian habitats in California. The twincrest onion thrives near streambanks and meadows. It is also likely to occur in wetlands.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Perennial herb
Size
0.33 - 2 ft tall
Flower Color
Purple
Wildlife Supported
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 14
likely
* )
SHOW ALL
*
Alfalfa Looper Moth
Autographa californica
Autographa californica
*
Armyworm Moth
Mythimna unipuncta
Mythimna unipuncta
*
Subterranean Dart
Feltia subterranea
Feltia subterranea
*
Ipsilon Dart
Agrotis ipsilon
Agrotis ipsilon
*
Western Yellowstriped Armyworm
Spodoptera praefica
Spodoptera praefica
*
Salt Marsh Moth or Acrea Moth
Estigmene acrea
Estigmene acrea
*
Fruit-Tree Leafroller Moth
Archips argyrospila
Archips argyrospila
Landscaping Information
Sun
Part Shade
Natural Setting
Site Type
Meadows and aspen groves
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 5.8" - 94.1", Summer Precipitation: 0.53" - 2.76", Coldest Month: 22.4" - 42.8", Hottest Month: 43.2" - 73.3", Humidity: 1.19" - 26.47", Elevation: 2970" - 10652"
Alternative Names
Botanical Names
: Allium bisceptrum var. bisceptrum
Common Names
: Twincrest Onion
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Twin Crest Onion
Allium bisceptrum
Sources include:
Wikipedia
. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the
California Consortia of Herbaria
, Sunset information provided by
Jepson Flora Project
. Propogation from seed information provided by the
Santa Barbara Botanical Garden
from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include
CalPhotos
,
Wikimedia Commons
, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include
Calflora
,
CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online
,
Jepson Flora Project
,
Las Pilitas
,
Theodore Payne
,
Tree of Life
,
The Xerces Society
, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from
PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University
, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.
Links:
Jepson eFlora Taxon Page
CalPhotos
Wikipedia
Calflora
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