Home > Landscaping > Native Plants for Western Washington Gardens and Restoration Projects
Allium cernuum
Nodding Onion
At a Glance: Clusters of long grass-like leaves overtopped by nodding umbels of pink flowers.
Height: Up to 20 inches (50 cm).
Growth Form: Herb.
Leaves: This plant has grass-like basal leaves that are strongly onion-scented and onion-flavored. The fresh leaves are only about 0.2 to 1.0 cm (0.05 to 0.4") wide, but up to 20 cm (8") long. (Richard Hebda).
Flowers: The pink to rose-purple, bell-shaped flowers are in umbrella shaped clusters with bracts below the umbel. The name nodding onion comes from the fact that the flower umbels bend over at the top of the stem and points downward toward the ground.
Flowering Period: May, June.
Fruits: The mature papery seed capsule releases hard black seeds (Richard Hedba of BC Natural History Museum wrote an article for Coastal Grower magazine).
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 full sun > 80% mostly sunny 60%-80%  partial sun and shade 40%- 60% mostly shady 60%-80% full shade > 80%
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wet moist dry
Wetland Indicator Status:
NI (no indicator data) |
low elevation mid elevation sub-alpine high elevation
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| Prefers dry sandy to rocky soils. |
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 |
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
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
Coastal bluffs Cliffs Rocky slopes Outcrops Crevices Glacial outwash Gullies Slide areas
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
Pastures or fields Meadows or grassy areas Mossy areas
Roadsides Trailsides Logged sites Burned areas Disturbed sites |
Suggested References
- Alden, P., D. Paulson. 1998. National Audubon Society, Field Guide to the Pacific Northwest. Chanticleer 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 the Starflower Foundation Image Herbarium. All photographs © Starflower Foundation unless otherwise noted.
