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Allium acuminatum Synonym: Alliaceae (Onion Family). Liliaceae (Lily Family). Foothills. Woodlands, openings. Spring. Allium acuminatum is common in the Pinyon-Juniper forests of Mesa Verde; its bright magenta flowers are conspicuous at the end of thin, leafless stalks. The long, narrow basal leaves typical of the Onion Family can be seen dried in the lower part of the picture at left. Click to see the extensive patches that Allium acuminatum can grow in. Many wild animals eat the bulbs and the thin onion-flavored leaves of this and other Alliaceae. "Acuminate" is Latin for "pointed" and refers to the tapering point of each petal. |
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Allium
cernuum (Nodding Onion) Synonym: Alliaceae (Onion Family). Liliaceae (Lily Family). Montane, subalpine. Meadows. Spring. This Onion grows throughout the Rocky Mountain West. It is easily distinguished from other species by its nodding flowers (see next photo), and this characteristic gives rise to its specific epithet, "cernuum", which means "nodding". Roth named this species
in 1798 from a specimen collected by an unknown botanist. |
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Allium
cernuum (Nodding Onion) Synonym: Alliaceae (Onion Family). Liliaceae (Lily Family). Montane, subalpine. Meadows. Spring. Notice the nod at the
top of the main stem as well as the slightly less pronounced nod of each
flower stem. |
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Allium geyeri
(Onion) Synonym: Alliaceae (Onion Family). Liliaceae (Lily Family). Montane, subalpine. Meadows. Spring. This very common onion occurs from the high foothills to timberline in moist (or just previously moist) meadows. Pictured at left, Allium geyeri is solitary on the 12,000 foot shoulder of Madden Peak in the La Plata Mountains just after snows melted and the ground began to dry. Click to see more Allium geyeri, including its massive display on lower, more continuously moist meadows. Charles A. Geyer came to the U.S. in 1834 and botanized extensively from Missouri to Vancouver until his return to Europe in 1844. (More biographical information.) |
