Native Plants

Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

Enter a Plant Name:
Or you can choose a plant family:

Fannon, Carolyn

Allium canadense var. mobilense

Allium canadense L. var. mobilense (Regel) Ownbey

Meadow Garlic, Wild Onion

Liliaceae (Lily Family)

Synonym(s): Allium arenicola, Allium canadense ssp. mobilense, Allium microscordion, Allium mobilense, Allium mutabile, Allium zenobine

USDA Symbol: ALCAM

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

Wild Onion is a common sight in the spring. Crow poison is similar and shares the same habitat, but the onion can be identified by its scent. It has a hollow stem 6-8 inches long and 3 or more basal leaves about as long and 1/8 inch wide. The flowers cluster at the top of the stem, individual flowers having stems 1/4-1 inch long. The 6 tepals are rose-pink to white, fading with age. There are 6 stamens.

Wild Onion prefers open, unshaded areas, where they bloom during April and May. When rainfall is sufficient, they sometimes bloom again in the fall.

From the Image Gallery

13 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Fruit Type: Capsule
Size Notes: Scape usually up to about 1 foot tall. Sometimes up to about 20 inches tall.
Fruit: Seeds black.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: White , Pink
Bloom Time: Apr , May

Distribution

USA: AL , AR , FL , GA , IL , KS , LA , MO , MS , NC , OK , SC , TN , TX
Native Habitat: Prairie, Plains, Meadows, Pastures, Savannas

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Low
Light Requirement: Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry
Soil Description: Sandy Loam, Medium Loam, Clay Loam, Clay

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Austin, TX

Bibliography

Bibref 318 - Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region (2002) Wasowski, S. & A. Wasowski
Bibref 248 - Texas Wildflowers: A Field Guide (1984) Loughmiller, C. & L. Loughmiller
Bibref 328 - Wildflowers of Texas (2003) Ajilvsgi, Geyata.

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Web Reference

Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

Additional resources

USDA: Find Allium canadense var. mobilense in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Allium canadense var. mobilense in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Allium canadense var. mobilense

Metadata

Record Modified: 2023-04-10
Research By: TWC Staff

Go back