Allium omeiense Z. Y. Zhu

Cultivated as vegetable on Emei Shan.

Roots elongate, thick, fleshy. Bulbs clustered, cylindric, robust, 1.5--2 cm in diam.; tunic fibrous. Leaves band-shaped to linear-oblanceolate, longer than scape, (1.5--)2--3.5 cm wide, midvein distinct. Scape lateral, 30--65 cm, terete, sometimes slightly compressed, covered with leaf sheaths for ca. 1/3 its length, reflexed after anthesis. Spathe deciduous. Umbel hemispheric, usually with leafing bulblets. Pedicels subequal, slightly longer than to 2 × as long as perianth, ebracteolate. Perianth white; segments linear to linear-lanceolate, 9--11 × 0.5--1.1 mm, apex caudate; inner ones slightly shorter than outer, united into a tube ca. 1 mm, midvein pale green. Filaments subulate, equal, ca. 1/2 as long as perianth segments, connate at base and adnate to perianth segments. Ovary subglobose, smooth; ovules 1(or 2) per locule. Style longer than ovary; stigma punctiform. Fl. and fr. Aug--Oct. 2 n = 22*.

C Sichuan (Emei Shan, Hongya Xian).

* Stream banks, slopes; 1000--1200 m.

Allium omeiense is a plant species endemic to Sichuan, China. The people of Emei Shuan grow Allium omeiense as a garden vegetable. It also grows in the wild on slopes and along stream banks.

Allium omeiense has thick, fleshy roots, plus a bulb up to 2 cm in diameter. Scape is up to 70 cm tall, round in cross-section; Leaves is sword-shaped, longer than the scape. Umbel is hemispheric with white flowers.