Minnesota Wildflowers


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Allium stellatum (Prairie Onion)

Plant Info
Also known as: Autumn Onion, Pink Wild Onion, Prairie Wild Onion
Genus:Allium
Family:Liliaceae (Lily)
Life cycle:perennial
Origin:native
Habitat:sun; dry fields, prairies, rocky areas
Bloom season:summer
Plant height:8 to 18 inches
USDA PLANTS database:Minnesota county distribution map
Spotted in Ramsey County at:

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Detailed Information

Flower: 6-petals round
[photo of flowers] 1½ to 2-inch round cluster of ¼-inch flowers, pale pink to deep pinkish purple, sometimes white, with a spot of yellow in the center and long yellow-tipped stamens. Individual flowers have 3 petals and 3 sepals; looks like 6 petals. A plant has a single cluster at the end of a long naked stem.
Leaves and stem: basal simple
[photo of leaves] A few narrow grass-like blades, up to as long as the plant is tall, surround the base of the stem. Leaves and stems are hairless, and have an onion smell to them.
Fruit:
[photo of fruit] Fruit is a chambered capsule about 1/8 inch across, each chamber containing a single black seed.

More photos

Photos taken at Long Lake Regional Park, New Brighton, MN July 2008 and July-September 2009

Comments

Have you seen this plant in Minnesota, or have any other comments about it?

Posted by: Gregour in Burnsville
on: 2009-07-22 09:44:22

Its botanical name, Allium stellatum, has words whose roots refer to onions, and stars, which seems like an odd coupling, but the flower is indeed very lovely! I saw a few by the Kraemer wetland in Burnsville (near Hwy 13 and west of Cty road 5) late in July.

Posted by: Jen in Duluth, MN
on: 2010-03-23 18:22:47

There is a healthy colony along Skyline Pkwy in Duluth. I have also observed it in rock outcrops in Duluth.

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