Allium jepsonii
Encyclopedia
Allium jepsonii is a species of wild onion
known by the common name Jepson's onion, honoring renowned California botanist Willis Linn Jepson
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s. There is a single cylindrical leaf which is about the same length as the stem. The inflorescence
holds 20 to 60 small flowers, each under a centimeter long with pink-veined white tepal
s with curling tips.
.
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 Jepson's onion, honoring renowned California botanist Willis Linn Jepson
Willis Linn Jepson
Willis Linn Jepson is known as California's most distinguished early botanist. He became interested in botany as a boy and explored adjacent regions. He had come in contact with various botanists before he entered college...
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Description
The Jepson's onion grows to a height between about 20 and 40 centimeters from one or two oval-shaped bulbBulb
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...
s. There is a single cylindrical leaf which is about the same length as the stem. The 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...
holds 20 to 60 small flowers, each under a centimeter long with pink-veined white tepal
Tepal
Tepals are elements of the perianth, or outer part of a flower, which include the petals or sepals. The term tepal is more often applied specifically when all segments of the perianth are of similar shape and color, or undifferentiated, which is called perigone...
s with curling tips.
Distribution
Allium jepsonii is endemic to the Sierra Nevada foothills of central CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
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