Ornamental Onion

Plant 10-25 cm. Bulbs ovoid-globose, up to 2 cm diam., with greyish papery tunics. Leaves 2, linear, ca. 20 cm x 1.-1.5 cm broad. Umbels hemispherical to spherical, loose, 7-8 cm diam., pediceles subequal. Perianth segments broadly campanulate, pink-purple. V - May to September. Fl - mid June to mid July. Fr - July-August. P - by daughter bulbs. Good drainage is necessary, does not tolerate excess watering. Does well in full sun, can also grow in partial shade. Good for the rock garden, for group planting. Z 4 (3).

Bulbs ovoid to globose, 1-1.5 cm broad, scaly; scales white, membranous. Leaves 2, linear, longer than the scape, 2-3 mm broad. Scape c. 15 cm long, 1/3 to 2/3 covered with leaf sheaths. Spathe bivalved, c. 1 cm long, shortly acuminate. Perigonium campanulate. Tepals rose purple with dark veins, 8-11 mm long, elliptic to ovate, acute. Stamens included, about half the length of the tepals; filaments connate at the base, entire, outer narrowly triangular, inner broadly triangular. Style c. 1 mm long; stigma trilobed.

Bulb solitary, ovoid-globose, 1.5--2 cm in diam.; tunic grayish, papery. Leaves 2, linear, longer than scape, 4--6(--8) mm wide, margin scabrous. Scape (5--)15--20 cm, terete, covered with leaf sheaths only at base. Spathe 2- or 3-valved, sometimes reddish, scarious, apex acuminate. Umbel subglobose, laxly 10--15-flowered. Pedicels equaling or a few longer than perianth, rarely shorter, ebracteolate. Perianth red, cupular; segments with dark midvein, broadly elliptic, 8--11 × 4--4.5 mm, apex obtuse or gradually attenuate, not acute. Filaments unequal, ca. 1/2 as long as perianth segments, connate and adnate to perianth segments for ca. 1/2 their length; inner ones ± lanceolate-ovate, wider than outer ones. Ovary ovoid, without concave nectaries. Style short; stigma 3-cleft. Fl. Jul--Aug. 2 n = 14, 16.

Caucasus (Dagestan), Central Asia (Dzungaro-Tarbagatay, Pamiro Alay, Tien Shan) and northwestern China. On rocky slopes in the upper mountain zones.

Distribution: Central Asia, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

N and W Xinjiang (Altay Shan, Tian Shan) [Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan; SW Asia].

Gravelly slopes; 2500--3000 m.

Allium ostrowskianum Regel; A. platystemon Karelin & Kirilov.