[Onions: The Genus Allium East of the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington]

Olympic Onion, Scalloped Onion

Allium crenulatum

Synonyms: Allium cascadense, Allium vancouverense, Allium watsonii

Olympic Onion, Scalloped Onion: Allium crenulatum (Synonyms: Allium cascadense, Allium vancouverense, Allium watsonii)

A cluster of scalloped onions on a light scree slope on Wedge Mountain, Wenatchee National Forest.........June 6, 2009.

Characteristics:

Scalloped onion is a low-growing perennial wildflower with one or two flattened, sickle-shaped basal leaves which may be toothed. The strongly flattened stem is shorter than the leaves and is 2-edged or 2-winged with crenulate (provided with scalloped or round-toothed margins) margins which gives the species its Latin and common names.

Two lanceolate bracts with acute tips subtend the umbel. Each bract is faintly 7-11-nerved. The umbel is several-to many-flowered. The pedicels of individual flowers are roughly equal in length to the tepals. The tepals are each 6-12 mm long, pink in color with deeper pink midveins, and lanceolate in shape with pointed tips. The stamens are roughly about 1/2-2/3 the length of the tepals and the anthers are usually yellow (rarely purple).


Habitat:

Scalloped onion may be found on thin, barren and gravelly soils at the crests of many peaks in the Cascade Mts.


Range:

Scalloped onion may be found from Vancouver Island south to the west of the Cascade crest to Curry County, OR. In the Cascades it may be found at Jefferson Park and in the Wenatchee Mts. of central Washington.


Olympic Onion, Scalloped Onion: Allium crenulatum (Synonyms: Allium cascadense, Allium vancouverense, Allium watsonii) - Olympic Onion, Scalloped Onion: Allium crenulatum (Synonyms: Allium cascadense, Allium vancouverense, Allium watsonii) - Olympic Onion, Scalloped Onion: Allium crenulatum (Synonyms: Allium cascadense, Allium vancouverense, Allium watsonii)

Close-up of the inflorescence of Olympic Onion, Scalloped Onion: Allium crenulatum (Synonyms: Allium cascadense, Allium vancouverense, Allium watsonii) - Close-up of the inflorescence of Olympic Onion, Scalloped Onion: Allium crenulatum (Synonyms: Allium cascadense, Allium vancouverense, Allium watsonii)

Scalloped onions as seen from the Teanaway Ridge Trail #1226 at a rocky point about one and one-half miles uphill from the junction with the Iron Creek Trail #1351, Wenatchee National Forest.........July 9, 2010.

Paul Slichter