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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE LILY FAMILY | ||
| The lilies are well-known in Saskatchewan.
The most easily recognizable lily is the western red lily, our provincial
flower. These plants are perennial herbs that grow from an underground bulb.
The leaves are either on the stem or in basal rosettes. If the leaves are
on the stem, they are alternately arranged and sheathing at the base. The
inflorescences are at the top of the plant and are in an unbranched or umbrella-like
cluster. Occasionally the flowers may be solitary. The flowers are usually
regular in shape and have coloured tepals. The tepals frequently have stripes
or spots. Each flower has six stamens and a superior ovary. The fruit is
a capsule. |
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| NODDING ONION | ||
| LATIN NAME: Allium geyeri | ||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | ||
| Nodding onion grows to 70 cm tall from underground bulbs. The outer bulb coating is gray or brownish and membranous in texture. The inner bulb coats are white to pink or reddish. The stems are usually solitary, though occasionally there may be two or more stems from the same bulb, with three to five sheathing leaves. The leaf sheaths do not extend much above the soil level. The flowers are in a nodding, umbrella-like cluster and have pink or white tepals. The six stamens extend past the tepals. The ovary has six crests and the fruit is a capsule. | ||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | ||
| Nodding onion grows in grasslands. | ||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | ||
| This species is found in west-central Saskatchewan and southwestern Saskatchewan in the Cypress Upland, Boreal Transition, and Mid-Boreal Upland ecoregions. | ||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | ||
| Nodding onion is vulnerable in Saskatchewan because it is rare or uncommon. It occurs in two to three general regions of the province, but most local populations are small. No immediate threats are known for this species. | ||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY NODDING ONION | ||
| * Are the flowers pink or white? * Do the bulbs have a greyish or brownish membranous covering? * Are the flowers in nodding, umbrella-like clusters? * Did you find it in southwestern or west-central Saskatchewan? |
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| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found nodding onion! | ||
