Allium falcifolium
Botanical Name: Allium falcifolium
Common Name: Sickle-leaf Onion
Clumps of grass-like leaves with flowers in the Spring. The stems are green-brown, and the plant omits an onion smell when crushed. This form of onion is toxic and should not be eaten.
Plant Family: Amaryllidaceae
Plant Type: Bulb
Height by Width: 1' H
Growth Habit: Clumps of grass-like leaves
Deciduous/Evergreen: Summer dormant
Growth Rate: Fast
Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
Soil Preference: Affinity to serpentine and heavy soils
Water Requiremenets: Dry summer dormancy
Cold Hardy to: 8,600'
Flower Season: Spring
Flower Color: Red to Deep Red
Endangered? Not Listed
Distribution: Northwestern California, San Francisco Bay Area
Natural Habitat: Chaparral, Foothill Woodland, Mixed Evergreen Forest, Yellow Pine Forest
Care and Maintenance
- If planted in the ground, plant the base of the bulb at a depth three times the height of the bulb. This may be a better candidate for pot culture. In either case, stop watering once the leaves begin to turn brown, but keep leaves on the plant until they turn completely brown.
History
Other Names
- References
- Harlow, Nora and Kristin Jakob. Wild Lilies, Irises, and Grasses: gardening with California Monocots. Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press. 2003.
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