Washington Native Plant Society: Starflower Image Herbarium

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Allium acuminatum

Taper-Tip Onion

At a Glance: This native wild onion has grass-like basal leaves overtopped by umbels of purple flowers, and egg-shaped bulbs containing a fibrous network on the surface.

Height: Up to 12 inches (30 cm).
Growth Form: Herb.
Leaves: The long, narrow and grass-like wither before flowers appear. Leaves are green when young then soon fade to brown.
Flowers: In umbels at stem tips. Each umbel consists of 7-25 flowers that grow from stalks (pedicels) arising from a common point and spread out like the spokes of an umbrella. The flowers are primarily rose-colored but occasionally white. A distinguishing characteristic of this plant is that the tepals (petals) turn back at the tips. The umbel has two bracts underneath.
Flowering Period: May, June, July, August.
Fruits: Fruits are capsule-like each containing a black seed; color: Seeds are black.


Photo © Ben Legler

Sun/Shade Tolerance	Hydrology	Elevation Range
Usually in dry open rocky sites. full sun > 80% mostly sunny 60%-80% partial sun and shade 40%- 60% mostly shady 60%-80% full shade > 80%	wet moist dry	low elevation mid elevation sub-alpine high elevation

Soil Preferences
Can endure rocky, dry to moist open forest sites.
sandy soils gravelly soils clay soils muddy soils peaty soils	well drained soils shallow soils deep soils acidic soils basic soils	humic soils nutrient rich soils nutrient poor soils mineral soils organic soils

Habitat Preferences
Aquatic and Wetland: Ponds or lakes Shallow pools Sloughs Swales or wet ditches Seasonally inundated areas Marshes or swamps Aquatic bed wetlands Emergent wetlands Scrub-shrub wetlands Forested wetlands Bogs, fens Seeps, springs Shorelines and Riparian: Lake shores Bog margins Streams or rivers Stream or river banks Riparian corridors River bars Floodplains Bottomlands Alluvial areas	Saltwater Areas: In or near saltwater Mud flats Tidal areas Estuaries Saltmarshes Brackish water Seashores Coastal dunes or beaches Rocky or Gravelly Areas: Coastal bluffs Cliffs Rocky slopes Outcrops Crevices Glacial outwash Gullies Slide areas Sub-alpine and Alpine: Heaths Snow beds Tundra Avalanche tracks	Forests and Thickets: Forests and woods Open forests Coniferous forests Old growth forests Deciduous forests Mixed forests Nurse logs Forest edges, openings, or clearings Thickets Meadows and Fields: Pastures or fields Meadows or grassy areas Mossy areas Disturbed Areas: Roadsides Trailsides Logged sites Burned areas Disturbed sites

Wildlife Value

(data not available)

Ethnobotanical Uses and Other Facts

Food Uses: The small strong tasting onion bulbs were occasionally eaten by some northwest coast groups. Note that this is a relatively restricted species, however, and should not be harvested from the wild.

Suggested References

Hitchcock, C.L., A. Cronquist. 1973. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 682.
Kruckeberg, A.R. 1996. 2nd ed. Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 150.
Lyons, C., W. Merilees. Trees and Shrubs to Know in Washington and British Columbia. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 276.
Pojar, J., A. Mackinnon. 1994. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 106.

The landscaping and restoration information provided on this page is taken from Starflower Foundation Image Herbarium. All photographs © Starflower Foundation unless otherwise noted.