This page compiles all the information and photos of the Allium taxa, cultivars, and hybrids we currently have on the PBS wiki. The Allium index gives information about the genus and includes tables of species and hybrids and cultivars.
Page 1: A. Globemaster... Page 2: A. atropurpureum... Page 3: A. carmeli... Page 4: A. decipiens... Page 6: A. karataviense... Page 7: A. membranaceum... Page 8: A. paradoxum... Page 9: A. regelii... Page 10: A. serra... Page 11: A. tardiflorum... Page 12: A. vineale...
Allium guttatum Steven has a wide distribution from the Ukraine to the Mediterranean. According to the Plants of the World Online there are five accepted subspecies. Photo by Wietse Mellema.
Allium guttatum ssp. dalmaticum (A.Kern. ex Janch.) Stearn is from Albania and W. Yugoslavia to E. Bulgaria, where it is considered endemic. This is a pink to purple color variant of Allium guttatum. It is nice, but not as attractive as the ssp. sardoum shown below. First photo by Mark McDonough, second by Rimmer de Vries.
Allium guttatum ssp. guttatum ranges from the Aegean region to Ukraine. It has whitish tepals blotched with purple
Allium guttatum ssp. kartalkayaense Yild. is native to Turkey.
Allium guttatum ssp. sardoum (Moris) Stearn is a fine European species from Portugal to Turkey, with dense heads of white flowers held precisely spaced, showing off bright white pedicels and small fluffy white florets stained with a small dark blotch on each tepal. The first photo was taken by Mark McDonough, July 18, 2002 and another view of this species is shown in the second photo of plants grown by Arnold Trachtenberg in New Jersey from bulbs purchased from Pacific Rim Native Plant Nursery.
Allium guttatum ssp. tenorei (Parl.) Soldano has a range from Tunisia to Libya.
Allium haematochiton S.Watson is found both on dry slopes and ridges from the south coast ranges of California into northern Baja, but also is found in seasonally moist, grassy meadows. It is tolerant of summer water and almost evergreen in those conditions. If dormant it is one of the first to appear in the fall and long blooming. It is also known to grow on serpentine. The first two photos were taken at Figueroa Mountain April 2005 by Mary Sue Ittner. The third photo was taken by Bob Rutemoeller. The last two pictures below are of bulbs grown and photographed by Nhu Nguyen. The second photo shows the blood-red skin of the bulbs, giving it the specific epithet "haematochiton" or "red tunic" in Greek, although not all forms will have the red color.
Allium heldreichii Boiss. grows in rocky places from 700 to 2000 m (2000 to 6000 ft) in Greece and flowers in summer. Photo by Arnold Trachtenberg of a plant grown from NARGS seed from 2002.
Allium hermoneum (Kollmann & Shmida) Brullo, Guglielmo, Pavone & Salmeri is a species native to Israel. Photo by Gideon Pisanty.
Allium hickmanii Eastw. is restricted to the central coast of California from the Monterey Peninsula to San Luis Obispo County. It is a relatively small onion with very thin leaves. It grows on grassy, wooded slopes. The first two photos were taken by Nhu Nguyen at the UC Botanical Garden. The next two photos from Calflora were taken May 2022 by Irene Rosen in Monterey County and shared under a CC BY-NC license.
Allium hollandicum R.M.Fritsch is a species native to Iran, and not synonym of Allium aflatunense B.Fedtsch., which is different, accepted species. Photographs by David Pilling, the last one shows shoots in spring (right) compared with tulips.
In the bulb photo the coin is about an inch in diameter. Photo 2 shows a bulb formed at the base of the seed head; photo 3 shows seed pods and seed on a 10 mm grid.
Allium hollandicum 'Purple Sensation' is a deep coloured strain believed to originate in 1963 from a selection by J. Bijl. It is often incorrectly called Allium aflatunense 'Purple Sensation' or described as a garden hybrid from Holland named Allium ×hollandicum 'Purple Sensation'. RHS AGM. Photo 1 by Janos Agoston. Photo 2 comparing this cultivar with the common form by David Pilling. Photo 3 from Travis Owen shows first year seedling bulbs. Seeds of 'Purple Sensation' are viable, and are easy to grow by spreading the seeds over the surface of a prepared seed pot in the autumn, and left in the elements over winter.
Allium hookeri Thwaites has a range from Bhutan to China and Sri Lanka.
Allium hookeri var. muliense Airy Shaw is a Chinese variety with bright yellow flowers instead of white. The foliage is very broad, with 8-9 leaves, looking more like a hemerocallis than an allium. The flowering stems reaches over 2' (60-70 cm), with a hemispherical head of flowers in June and early July. Three photos by Mark McDonough, June 2004.
Allium howellii Eastw. is a mostly southern California species with three varieties. It has exserted stamens and prominent ovary crests.
Allium howellii var. clokeyi Ownbey & Aase ex Traub grows on open slopes in desert sagebrush scrub. It has white flowers , sometimes with pink midveins. Photos by Mary Sue Ittner of the flower and the bulb (shown on a 1 cm. square grid).
Allium howellii var. howellii is a common species with pale lavender flowers that grows on grassy slopes. It is distinguished from the other varieties by its thin stem.
Allium howellii var. sanbenitense (Traub) McNeal & T.D.Jacobsen grows on thinly grassy slopes in serpentine soils in San Benito and Fresno counties.
Allium hyalinum Curran is a California onion with small starry flowers that sparkle in bright sun. It is found in grasslands moist in the spring in the central and southern Sierra foothills. There are generally two forms, a white and a pink. This species is easy in culture and multiples very well.
The photos below were taken by Nhu Nguyen on CA HW49 near Yosemite National Park. The plants were growing out of a thin organic mat on rocky surfaces where a seep occurs.
Below are photos of a white form. Photo 1 was taken by Bob Rutemoeller and photos 2-5 were taken by Nhu Nguyen at the Tilden Botanic Garden.
Photo 1-3 were taken by Nhu Nguyen of white and pink forms. Photo 4-5 from Mary Sue Ittner including the last showing the small bulbs on a 1 cm grid.
Allium hymenorrhizum Ledeb. "robust form" - I've grown several forms of this species, but this one from Jerry Flintoff is by far the most robust and distinctive. It grows 3' to 3-1/2' tall (90-105 cm) and has lollipop balls of lilac-pink blooms in early summer. The first photo shows a flower head with buds ready to open, the second shows flowers at full anthesis, and the third shows the succulent sprouting shoots in late March to early April, the leaf bases stained beet red and the emerging leaves strongly falcate. Photos by Mark McDonough.
Allium incensiodorum Radic was collected in Istria, northern Croatia, where it grows with Cyclamen purpurascens Mill., Paeonia officinalis L., Helleborus multifidus subsp. istriacus (Schiffn.) Merxm. & Podlech and other fine Mediterranean plants among limestone boulders. Leaves are strap-like. Flowers in mid August in cultivation in the UK. Photos by Tom Mitchell.
Allium insubricum Boiss. & Reut. is found in stony ground at 800 to 2100 m (2500 to 6300 ft) in the Italian Alps. It is considered to be among the most desirable of Allium species. It is closely akin to the equally beautiful Allium narcissiflorum Vill. and seed purported to be the latter in seed exchanges is usually this species instead. (Seed heads of Allium narcissiflorum become erect; seed heads of Allium insubricum stay nodding.) It can be difficult to grow and flower well. First photo by Mark McDonough, taken in the garden of a nearby friend. Second photo of a pot grown plant in the UK by RH, sourced from Paul Christian.
Allium jacquemontii Kunth. - one of my absolute favorites, from C. Asia. Slow growing, and only mature bulbs flower, but a mature clump might produce a couple dozen tight knobs of fragrant luminous pink flowers. The heads widen and at full anthesis are a nearly flat-topped or domed drumstick. Flowers in June on 18" (45 cm) stems. Photo by Mark McDonough.
Allium jepsonii (Ownbey & Aase ex Traub) S.S.Denison & McNeal is a Californian species that grows in the Sierra Nevada foothills in two different areas, one on serpentine in the north and the other on volcanic soils in the central foothills. It has a single, terete, rat-tail-like leaf, from which pops out a flower stem from a basal incision near the base, and a small head of white, lightly nerved flowers in July. Needs excellent drainage. The stems tend to recline, as shown in the image. The species is often found on serpentine. For a while it was listed as an endangered species and has now been delisted due to discoveries of new populations. Photos by Mark McDonough, Mary Sue Ittner and Nhu Nguyen at the Tilden Botanic Garden.
Allium jesdianum Boiss. & Buhse ssp. angustitepalum (Wendelbo) F.O.Khass. & R.M.Fritsch. was previously sold as A. rosenbachianum Regel (a very different species). It seems that the nomenclature is sorted out. I like this species as it has beautiful two-toned flowers (rose-purple and prominent white stamens), held in graceful hemispheres, on stems only about 24-30" (60-75 cm). There are several named cultivars, but I like this subspecies the best. Photo by Mark McDonough.
Page 1: A. Globemaster... Page 2: A. atropurpureum... Page 3: A. carmeli... Page 4: A. decipiens... Page 6: A. karataviense... Page 7: A. membranaceum... Page 8: A. paradoxum... Page 9: A. regelii... Page 10: A. serra... Page 11: A. tardiflorum... Page 12: A. vineale...
Allium index - Allium flavum Relatives - American alliums A-F - American alliums G-Z - Big Ball alliums - Blue alliums - Chives - Domed alliums - Drumstick alliums - Rhizomatous alliums