About
Allium cratericola, the Cascade onion, is an uncommon short wild onion endemic to California's mountain ranges.
Care at a glance
- Pet safety
- Allium species are toxic to cats and dogs; eating large amounts can cause hemolytic anemia, and cats are most sensitive. General guidance for the genus
- People
- Low toxicity; eating large quantities may cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. General guidance for the genus
- Light
- Full sun to light shade. General guidance for the genus
- Water
- Avoid overly damp ground; wet conditions invite bulb rot and other fungal problems. General guidance for the genus
- Soil
- Fertile, loose, well-drained soil; sand or loam both suit. General guidance for the genus
- Propagation
- Divide bulb offsets in spring; seed is slower and may take years to germinate. General guidance for the genus
- Mature size
- Stem up to 10 cm tall.
“General guidance for the genus” marks advice sourced for the genus as a whole rather than this species.
Field notes
Morphology
A brown-coated oval bulb gives rise to a stem up to 10 cm tall and one or two pointed leaves up to four times as long. The dense umbel holds up to 20 bell-shaped flowers about 15 mm across, white, pink or purplish with a dark purple-brown midvein.
Distribution & habitat
Endemic to California, from Riverside to Siskiyou counties, in the Coast Ranges, western Transverse Ranges, Klamath Mountains and Sierra Nevada foothills.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- United States
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- Not recorded
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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