Allium stellatum (Prairie onion)

Plants: 1–1½′ (30–45 cm) high, growing in sandy soil. Like all members of this genus, plants have a distinct onion/garlic odor.

Leaves: Leaves are few, grasslike, near the base. They die back when the flower stalks grow. Bulbs are oval or cone-shaped, ⅛ ⨉ ½″ (4 mm ⨉ 1.5 cm) in size.

Flowers: Rose-pink to lavender, in umbels that are ball-shaped, 2–3″ (5–7.6 cm) around. Each individual flower is about ¼″ (6.3 mm) in size, with 3 petals and 3 sepals. Sometimes the flowerhead is tipped over—”nodding”—making these plants resemble nodding onion (Allium cernuum).

Fruits: Chambered capsules about ⅛″ (3.2 mm) across. Each chamber contains a single black seed with a dull coat.

Edibility: Bulbs are edible, but very strong in flavor, and can be eaten when boiled. The leaves are edible, either raw or cooked, and the flowers made a good garnish on salads.

5/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 2 × 1′ (62 × 41 cm)

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin)
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Liliopsida	Monocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family
Subclass	Liliidae	Includes lilies, orchids, and many others
Order	Asparagales	A diverse group that includes asparagus
Family	Amaryllidaceae	Amaryllis family—plants that grow from bulbs. Includes onions and many others
Genus	Allium	Onions, leeks, shallots, garlic, scallions, etc.
Species	stellatum	Starry, star-like, with spreading leaves or petals arranged in a star-shaped fashion

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Range: Zones 3-8:

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