| Dark red onion | |
|---|---|
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| Allium atrorubens found in theWhite Mountains inEsmeralda County, Nevada | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Amaryllidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Allioideae |
| Genus: | Allium |
| Subgenus: | A.subg. Amerallium |
| Species: | A. atrorubens |
| Binomial name | |
| Allium atrorubens | |
Allium atrorubens is a species ofwild onion known by the common namedark red onion. This plant is native to thesouthwestern United States where it grows in the sandy soils of theMojave Desert, theGreat Basin and higher-elevation deserts inNevada, easternCalifornia (San Bernardino,Kern,Mono,Inyo andLassen Counties) southwesternUtah (Kane,Millard andBeaver Counties), northwesternArizona (Mohave andCoconino Counties).[1][2]
Allium atrorubens grows from a reddish-brownbulb 1–1.5 cm (3⁄8–5⁄8 in) across. The stem is short and is surrounded by few coiled tubular leaves. Atop the stem is aninflorescence of up to 50 flowers. Each flower has six shiny,iridescent, sharply triangulartepals with dark midveins. The tepals are usually magenta to maroon but are lighter pink or white occasionally. Each flower is about1 cm (3⁄8 in) wide.[1][3][4]
