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Taxon  Report  
Allium sharsmithiae  (Ownbey & Aase ex Traub) McNeal
Sharsmith's onion
Allium sharsmithiae is a perennial herb (bulb) that is native to California, and endemic (limited) to California.
also called Allium fimbriatum var. sharsmithiae
California Rare Plant Rank: 1B.3 (rare, threatened, or endangered in CA and elsewhere).
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
Observation Search
~87 records in California
yellowone or more occurrences
within a 7.5-minute quadrangle
DJJJASONAFMM

Bloom Period
Genus: Allium
Family: Alliaceae  
(Liliaceae)
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Monocot
Jepson eFlora section: monocot

Ultramafic affinity: 5.1 - broad endemic

Communities: Foothill Woodland

Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + CNPS + PLANTS

Alternate Names:
CNPSAllium fimbriatum var. sharsmithiae, Allium sharsmithae
JEF + PLANTSAllium fimbriatum var. sharsmithiae
JEFAllium sharsmithae
Information about  Allium sharsmithiae from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
Commercial availability unknown.
Jepson eFlora

USDA PLANTS Profile (ALSH2)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

[Wikipedia] Range, Description: Allium sharsmithiae, called the Mount Hamilton onion or Helen Sharsmith's onion, is a rare species of wild onion endemic to a small region in California. It is found on serpentine soils in the vicinity of Mount Hamilton, in the Diablo Range south of San Francisco Bay in Santa Clara, Alameda and Stanislaus Counties.[2][3][4] Description Allium sharsmithiae produces round to egg-shaped bulbs up to 2 cm in diameter. Flowering stalk is round in cross section, not hollow, up to 20 cm tall. Flowers are urn-shaped, up to 2 cm in diameter; tepals deep reddish-purple; anthers and pollen yellow. (link added by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2024. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 11/23/2024).