Allium sanbornii
A North American wild onion native to northern California and southwestern Oregon, growing in serpentine soils, with a scape up to 60 cm tall, a single cylindrical leaf, and an umbel of up to 150 pink-to-white flowers.
Common Names
Sanborn's Onion, Congdon's Onion
Summary
Sanborn's onion is a North American wild onion native to northern California and southwestern Oregon. It is a bulbous perennial herb with a reddish-brown bulb 15–25 mm, a scape up to 60 cm tall, and a single cylindrical leaf of similar length; an umbel of 18–150 flowers with tepals 4–9 mm long, pink to white with a darker red midvein; anthers yellow or purple and pollen yellow or white. Two varieties are congdonii and sanbornii.
In cultivation, it grows in serpentine soils of the southern Cascade Range and northern Sierra Nevada foothills, at elevations of 1000–4600 ft; it tolerates rocky outcrops and prefers sun to partial shade with moderate water, suitable for landscaping.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
2 feet
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally full sun to partial shade.
Soil Type
Serpentine soils
Soil Drainage
Well-drained soil.
Bloom Color
Pink to white, sometimes with darker red midveins.
Bloom Time
Spring to Summer
Leaf Lifecycle
Deciduous
Growth Rate
Perennial
Seasons of Interest
Spring and Summer
Propagation Methods
Seeds, Bulblets, Division
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts butterflies
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- Alph.Wood
- Publication
- Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 20: 171 (1868)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Asparagales
- Family
- Amaryllidaceae
- Genus
- Allium
Inferior Taxa
Allium sanbornii var. congdonii Allium sanbornii var. sanbornii