Allium cernuum var. obtusum Cockerell ex J.F. Macbr.
Allium neomexicanum Rydb.
Allium nutans Schult. & Schult.f.
Allium oxyphilum Wherry
Allium recurvatum Rydb.
Allium tricorne Poir.
Calliprena cernua (Roth) Salisb.
Cepa cernua (Roth) Moench
Gynodon cernuum (Roth) Raf.
Gynodon elliotii Raf.
Gynodon rupestre Raf.
Allium cernuum, known as nodding onion or lady's leek,[4] is a perennial plant in the genus Allium. It grows in open areas in North America.
Description
Allium cernuum is a herbaceous
perennial growing from an unsheathed elongated conical
bulb which gradually tapers directly into several keeled (thin and flat) grass-like
leaves, 2–4 millimetres (3⁄32–5⁄32 inch) in width. Each mature bulb bears a single flowering stem, which terminates in a downward nodding
umbel of white or rose, campanulate (bell-shaped) flowers that bloom in July and August. The flowers are arranged into downward facing umbels and each flower is about 5 mm (3⁄16 in) across, pink or white with yellow
pollen and yellow
anthers. A. cernuum does not have
bulblets in the
inflorescence.[5] The flowers mature into spherical crested
fruits which later split open to reveal the dark shiny
seeds.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]
Despite its wide geographical distribution, it is absent from much of its range. In the southern part of its range in North America it is limited to mountainous habitats, and in other parts of its North American range it is limited to local and disjunct population. It is absent from
North Dakota and most of the
Great Plains states and
intermountain region of the U.S.[5] In Minnesota it is listed as a threatened species.[19]
It can be found growing in deciduous woodlands, to open
grasslands.[5]
Uses
While A. cernuum is edible and has a strong onion flavor, it is not considered to have culinary value in the modern world.[20]
Cultivation
It is grown in
gardens for its distinctive nodding flowers that are white, pink, or maroon; it is winter hardy in
U.S. Department of Agriculturehardiness zones 3–9.[4] In gardens it will often form dense clusters of bulbs over time from offsets of the parent bulb.[21] Plants are healthiest in full sun with well drained soil, though in hot climates they appreciate some shade especially in the afternoons.[20]
^Gleason, H. A.; Cronquist, A.J. (1991). Manual of the Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada (2 ed.). Bronx: New York Botanical Garden. pp. i–910.
^Cronquist, A.J.; Holmgren, A. H.; Holmgren, N. H.; Reveal, J. L. (1977). "Vascular Plants of the Intermountain West, U.S.A.". In Cronquist, A.J.; Holmgren, A. H.; Holmgren, N. H.; Reveal, J. L.; Holmgren, P. K. (eds.). Intermountain Flora. Vol. 6. New York: Hafner Pub. Co. pp. 1–584.
^Hitchcock, C. H.; Cronquist, A.J.; Ownbey, F. M.; Thompson, J. W. (1969). "Vascular Cryptogams, Gymnosperms, and Monocotyledons". In Hitchcock, C. L. (ed.). Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. Vol. 1. Seattle: University of Washington Press. pp. 1–914.
^Radford, A. E.; Ahles, H. E.; Bell, C. R. (1968). Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. pp. i–lxi, 1–1183.
^Barr, Claude A. (1983). Jewels of the plains : wild flowers of the Great Plains grasslands and hills. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. p. 19.
ISBN0-8166-1127-0.