> > My attitude toward Alliums, and I do forage wild plants when I hike in the > Sierra (or even around home), is: if it tastes or smells like an onion, eat > it; if it doesn't, don't. > I feel that the only wild onion that should be eaten in California is the invasive Allium triquetrum and perhaps the native Allium hyalinum which can grow in huge masses in the mountains. It is a shame to eat bulbs that take 4-5 years to mature from seeds, especially when their populations tend to be small. I recently wrote in the Bulb Garden about onions endemic to CA that produce only a single leaf each year. It certainly sets the bulb back if that single leaf was collected for food. However, nibbling on a flower to have a taste (and I'm told that each species tastes differently) will probably not be detrimental to the plant. Nhu Berkeley, CA -- getting some more rain today but perhaps a clear Saturday tomorrow -- http://www.flickr.com/photos/xerantheum/