Wildflowers of the United States

Home Journal Family Index - All States Photo Albums News About Privacy

Simil Onion, Dwarf Onion - Allium simillimum


Family: Amaryllidaceae - Amaryllis family Genus Common Name: Onion Native Status: NativeMonocot Perennial Herb
Allium simillimum - Simil Onion, Dwarf Onion. Allium simillimum is not a widely distributed plant, being found only in about half of Idaho and only in a few locations in Montana, Nevada, and Oregon. While the USDA Plants Database map only shows Simil Onion in Idaho and a couple of Montana counties, information from other sources gleaned from wildflowersearch.com indicates that it is also present in Oregon and Nevada. I observed only at elevations above 5,000 feet, and while most observations of Simil Onion have been between 4,000 and 10,000 feet, there have been a few observations at both higher and lower elevations.

Similar species:
  • Allium brandegeei - Brandegee's Onion, which has a longer stem and shorter leaves
  • Allium parvum - Small Onion, which has a flatter stems and leaves
  • Allium tomiei - Many-flowered Onion has much longer, more sharply pointed tepals.

Found in:
ID, MT, NV, OR

Leave comments on Allium simillimum at this link.

Check here for more information about Allium simillimum.
Allium simillimum

Distribution of Allium simillimum in the United States and Canada:
Map unavailable.
Map courtesy of The Biota of North America Program.
Map color key

Search Our Database: Enter any portion of the Scientific, Common Name, or both.
Scientific name:
Common name:

Example: Enter "lob" in the common name field and you'll get all our species that have "lobelia" in the common name, as well as "sharp-lobed hepatica".

Do a general Google search of the entire site:


#ad

Follow on Twitter
Follow USWildflowers on Twitter



Site: Boise National Forest, Ada County, ID Date: 2010-June-15Photographer: Gerald C. Williamson
Nikon D60
Tamron SP 90MM f/2.8 AF Macro
Dwarf Onion has 6 white tepals, sometimes tinted with pink or entirely pink. It also has 6 stamens.
Allium simillimum
Site: Boise National Forest, Ada County, ID Date: 2010-June-15Photographer: Gerald C Williamson
Nikon D40
The leaves of Allium simillimum are basal, linear, and have a groove along one side. The broader, shorter leaves in the bottom half of the photo are Blue-eyed Mary. You can see one of those blossoms out of focus in the lower left quadrant.
Click on the photo for a larger image
Allium simillimum
Site: Boise National Forest, Ada County, ID Date: 2010-June-15Photographer: Gerald C Williamson
Nikon D60
The Dwarf Onion flower clusters are held on a short stem, which is less than half the length of the leaves.
Click on the photo for a larger image
Allium simillimum
References used for identification and information:
#ad
Allium simillimum initially published on USWildflowers.com 2010-08-31; Updated 2017-03-02

Commercial / Cookie Notice

Looking for Wildflowers for a specific state? Check here:



All content except USDA Plants Database map Copyright Gerald C. Williamson 2024
Photographs Copyright owned by the named photographer



Code Update 20230302