Pink wild onion

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Pink wild onion flowers

Pink wild onion

Pink wild onion

Pink wild onion

Pink wild onion

Pink wild onion inflorescence

Pink wild onion

Pink wild onion

Morphology

Stem

Flowering stalks erect, slender, leafless, arising from bulbs .75 to 1.25 inches thick.

Leaves

Basal, several, linear, grass-like, shorter than flowering stalks, less than 1/5 inch wide, channeled, nearly flat, usually withering by flowering.

Inflorescence

Umbels, erect, several- to many-flowered, terminal, subtended by 2 spathe bracts; bracts downward pointing, each 7-nerved.

Flower

Perianths deep pink, star-shaped, on threadlike stalks 2-3 times as long as perianth; perianth segments 6, all similar, 1/4 to 1/3 inch long; tips pointed; stamens 6, longer than perianth segments.

Fruit

Capsules, small, rounded; seeds black.

Ecology

Habitat

Dry prairies, especially rocky sites associated with limestone.

Distribution

East half of Kansas.

Practical Information

Uses

The bulbs and young leaves can be eaten raw or cooked.