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:Alliaceae (Onion)
Life cycle:perennial
Origin:native
Habitat:sun; dry fields, prairies, rocky areas
Bloom season:July - August
Plant height:8 to 18 inches
County distribution (click map to enlarge):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.

Notes:

Prairie Onion is similar to the rare Nodding Wild Onion (Allium cernuum), which, as the name suggests, has flower clusters that hang down where Prairie Onion's are erect. All Allium species were formerly in the Liliaceae (Lily) family, but are now in Alliaceae (Onion).

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  • Out Back Nursery and Landscaping - Where Ecology and Horticulture Unite
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  • Prairie Restorations - Bringing people together with the land
  • Shop for native seeds and plants at PrairieMoon.com!

Map of native plant purveyors in the upper midwest

More photos

Photos by K. Chayka taken at Long Lake Regional Park, Ramsey County. Photos courtesy Peter M. Dziuk taken in Anoka County.

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.

Posted by: Robyn in Litchfield
on: 2011-06-13 23:26:17

I found one growing along the side of the road under an oak tree last summer. VERY BEAUTIFUL!

Posted by: Robert in Maplewood
on: 2011-07-30 09:47:33

I have a wild onion plant which is the "nodding" variety, Allium.cernuum. White blossoms which hang downward.

Posted by: Joe in Hennepin County
on: 2011-08-21 08:40:41

I am fairly certain we saw prairie onion at Crow-Hassan County Park last evening in the sand prairie portions of the park.

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