Taper-tip Onion
Allium acuminatum
Onion family (Amaryllidaceae)
Purple Onion (Allium acuminatum) is common in the Pinyon-Juniper forests and nearby foothills . Its bright magenta flowers are very conspicuous at the end of thin, leafless stalks, especially when the plant grows, as it often does, in masses of thousands. The long, narrow with a fragrance of onions helps you identify this plant. Many wild animals eat the and the onion-flavored leaves of this and other Alliums . "" is Latin for "pointed" and refers to the tapering point of each petal.

©2009 Walter Siegmund