Allium amplectens
Encyclopedia
Allium amplectens is a species of wild onion
known by the common name narrowleaf onion. It is native to western North America where it grows in woods and especially in clay and serpentine soil
s. It grows from a pinkish-brown bulb
and sends up a naked green stem topped with an inflorescence
. When closed the inflorescence is wrapped in bright pink to magenta bract
s. It opens to produce between 10 and 50 shiny white to pale pink flowers, each under a centimeter wide. The six stout stamen
s and the ovary are white or tinted pink or lavender. It is a fairly widespread species.
Allium
Allium is a monocot genus of flowering plants, informally referred to as the onion genus. The generic name Allium is the Latin word for garlic....
known by the common name narrowleaf onion. It is native to western North America where it grows in woods and especially in clay and serpentine soil
Serpentine soil
A serpentine soil is derived from ultramafic rocks, in particular serpentinite, a rock formed by the hydration and metamorphic transformation of ultramafic rock from the Earth's mantle....
s. It grows from a pinkish-brown bulb
Bulb
A bulb is a short stem with fleshy leaves or leaf bases. The leaves often function as food storage organs during dormancy.A bulb's leaf bases, known as scales, generally do not support leaves, but contain food reserves to enable the plant to survive adverse conditions. At the center of the bulb is...
and sends up a naked green stem topped with an inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
. When closed the inflorescence is wrapped in bright pink to magenta bract
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
s. It opens to produce between 10 and 50 shiny white to pale pink flowers, each under a centimeter wide. The six stout stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s and the ovary are white or tinted pink or lavender. It is a fairly widespread species.