North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Allium cernuum

Allium cernuum Roth

nodding onion

Image ID: 8024
Image by: Parkins, Grant Morrow
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: ALCE2
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Allium cernuum
Include in WOTAS: 1
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2019-01-15

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: ALLIU
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Allium
GENUS AUTHORITY: L.
GENUS COMMON: Onion
GENUS SUMMARY: A genus of 500-700 species, herbs, of Eurasia, n. Africa, and North America (especially diverse in c. Asia).
GENUS IDENTIFICATION:
GENUS REFERENCES: Mathew (1996)=Z; Rahn in Kubitzki (1998a); McNeal & Jacobsen in FNA (2002a). [also see Nothoscordum]

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: ALLIAC
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Alliaceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: Borkhausen 1797
FAMILY COMMON: Onion Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: A family of about 13 genera and 800 species, herbs, especially diverse in South America, n. North America, and n. Eurasia. Although included in Amaryllidaceae by APG III (2009), Seberg et al. (2012) and others make a strong case for the benefits of recognizing smaller families in the Asparagales, a course followed here.
FAMILY REFERENCE: Dahlgren, Clifford, & Yeo (1985); Mï¿½ller-Doblies & Mï¿½ller-Doblies (1996); Meerow & Snijman in Kubitzki (1998a); Fay & Chase (1996); Rahn in Kubitzki (1998a).

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO: Erect, scapose perennial found in open woodlands or around outcrops of shale or mafic, ultramafic, or calcareous rocks, mostly at low elevations in the Mountains.
STEMS: Stem a smooth flowering scape arising from a cluster of reddish-purple bulbs.
LEAVES: Leaves mostly basal, linear and flattened, 4-15 in. long, with a whitish cast and limp appearance.
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS: Flowers on relatively thick stalks within a dense umbel at the â€œshepherdâ€™s crookâ€ terminus of the scape, white or pink to purplish, widely bell-shaped and downward pointing, to Â¼ in. long and consisting of 6 petaloid tepals.
FRUITS: Fruit a 3-lobed capsules containing black seeds.
COMMENTS: All parts have an onion smell and flavor; bulbils are absent. The similar Allium alleghaniense, which is more restricted in distribution and favors moderate to fairly high elevations, differs in having darker magenta-purple tepals with rounded rather than pointed tips.
HEIGHT: 12-15 in.

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Herb

LEAF ARRANGEMENT: Basal
LEAF COMPLEXITY: Simple
LEAF RETENTION:

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY: Radial (Actinomorphic)
BLOOM TIME: Jun-early Aug

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
				x	x	x	x

BLOOM COLOR: White or light pink

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
x		x

FRUITING PERIOD: Aug-Oct.

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE: Outcrops and glades, Woods margins
NATIVE RANGE: North America

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text: Nodding onion is found in open woodlands and rock outcrops at lower mountain elevations in much of the continental U.S. The nodding umbels of pink flowers serve to distinguish nodding onion from other members of the genus Allium. Nodding onion is useful for small border massings, rock gardens and naturalized areas. Cut back foliage and seed heads in the fall.

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Dry, Average, Well-drained
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun, Part Shade, Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 3
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 9
GERMINATION CODE: 2
WILDLIFE VALUE: Bee Friendly, Butterfly Friendly
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM COLLECTIONS

Coll_id	Project	Collection date	Collector	Action
16	HORT	2014-08-28	Summer	View
1266	HORT	2005-08-22	Bryan	View
1325	HORT	2006-09-01	Bryan	View
1572	HORT	2005-09-30	Bryan	View
1704	HORT	2005-01-01	Bryan	View
1800	HORT	2005-01-01	Bryan	View
1873	HORT		Summer	View
2172	NPMD	2019-08-19	Touloupas	View
2523	NPMD	2021-08-19	Kunz	View
2525	NPMD	2021-08-25	Pil	View

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
43	2015-0021	2015-10-28	16	View
1219	1986-0989			View
4315	1992-0471			View
6621	1996-0256			View
8165	2004-0175	2006-05-19		View
9224	2005-0255	2020-05-07	1572	View
9401	2021-0059	2021-05-19	0	View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
57	43	16	Liloia	2015-07-01	View
2110	1219	81	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
6643	4315	200	NCBG staff	1993-03-01	View
9351	6621	124	NCBG staff	1967-12-31	View
11419	8165	81	NCBG staff	2004-01-01	View
12322	9224	71	Liloia	2009-03-09	View
12691	9401	16	Liloia	0000-00-00	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: ALCE2
USDA Common Name: Nodding Onion
Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)
Distribution: USA (AL, AR, AZ, CO, DC, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KY, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, NE, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, WV, WY), CAN (AB, BC, ON, SK)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Forb/herb

NATIONAL WETLAND INDICATOR STATUS

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	FACU		FACU		FACU	UPL		FACU	FACU	FACU

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2016 National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.3 (Lichvar, R.W., D.L. Banks, W.N. Kirchner, and N.C. Melvin. 2016. The National Wetland Plant List: 2016 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2016-30: 1-17. Published 28 April 2016. ISSN 2153 733X). Regions: AGCP-Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain, AK-Alaska, AW-Arid West, CB-Caribbean, EMP-Eastern Mountains and Piedmont, GP-Great Plains, HI-Hawaii, MW-Midwest, NCNE-Northcentral and Northeast, WMCV-Western Mountains, Valleys & Coast

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Allium cernuum
COMMON NAME: Nodding Onion
SYNONYMY: [= S, Va; < A. cernuum - C, F, FNA, G, Pa, RAB, W (also see A. allegheniense and/or A. oxyphilum); > A. cernuum var. cernuum - K]
PHENOLOGY: Jun-early Aug; Aug-Oct.
HABITAT: Generally in open woodlands or around outcrops of shale, mafic, ultramafic, or calcareous rocks, in the mountains at low elevations.
COMMENTS: NY, MI, MN, and BC, south to GA and AZ; the distribution is oddly fragmented into largely Rocky Mountain, Ozarkian, and Appalachian segments, and it is quite possible that cryptic taxa are involved. See discussion of A. oxyphilum at end of genus.
RANGE MAP: Allium cernuum.png

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Alliaceae Borkhausen 1797 (Onion Family)
SUMMARY: A family of about 13 genera and 800 species, herbs, especially diverse in South America, n. North America, and n. Eurasia. Although included in Amaryllidaceae by APG III (2009), Seberg et al. (2012) and others make a strong case for the benefits of recognizing smaller families in the Asparagales, a course followed here.
REFERENCE: Dahlgren, Clifford, & Yeo (1985); Mï¿½ller-Doblies & Mï¿½ller-Doblies (1996); Meerow & Snijman in Kubitzki (1998a); Fay & Chase (1996); Rahn in Kubitzki (1998a).

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Allium L. (Onion)
SUMMARY: A genus of 500-700 species, herbs, of Eurasia, n. Africa, and North America (especially diverse in c. Asia).
REFERENCE: Mathew (1996)=Z; Rahn in Kubitzki (1998a); McNeal & Jacobsen in FNA (2002a). [also see Nothoscordum]

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Allium cernuum in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Allium cernuum in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Allium cernuum in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Allium cernuum in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Allium cernuum in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Allium cernuum

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 8024 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 28442 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 0 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 12273 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)