Scientific Name:
Allium cernuum
Pronunciation:
AL-ee-um SER-new-um
Common Name:
nodding onion
Family Name:
Amaryllidaceae
Plant Type:
Herbaceous perennial
Key ID Features:
Bulb unsheathed, slender, conical and gradually tapering directly into several keeled grass-like leaves, 2-4mm wide; florets bell-shaped, white or pink, about 5mm wide, in a downward nodding umbel; fruit capsules rounded and split open to reveal the dark shiny seeds.
Habit:
Upright
Form:
Vase
Texture:
Medium - fine
Mature Height:
0.2 - 0.4m
Mature Spread:
0.1 - 0.3m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Mexico, North America
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 3: (-40 to -34 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Landscape Uses:
Attract beneficial insects, Attract butterflies, Perennial border, Rock garden, Urban agriculture, Woodland margin
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Parallel venation
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Colour in Fall:
Yellow
Shapes:
Linear
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Sheathing
Margins:
Entire
Inflorescence Type:
Umbel, Floriferous
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
3
Corolla Shape:
Rotate/stellate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Showy, White, Pink
Flower Time at Peak:
May, Jun, Jul
Additional Info:
6 tepals
Fruit Type:
Capsule
Fruit Colour:
Brown (black, shiny seeds)
Fruiting Time:
Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Not showy
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green
Organ Modifications:
Bulbs, no bulblets form in the inflorescence
Propagation:
Seed, Division - below ground parts
Maintenance:
Low
Pest Susceptibility:
(Pest resistant, Disease resistant, Deer resistant, Rabbit resistant, Drought tolerant)
