Allium drummondii explained

Allium drummondii, also known as Drummond's onion, wild garlic and prairie onion, is a North American species of onion native to the southern Great Plains of North America. It is found in South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, and northeastern Mexico.[1] [2]

Allium drummondii is a bulb-forming perennial. The flowers appear in April and May, in a variety of colors ranging from white to pink. It is common, considered invasive in some regions.[3] [4] [5]

Uses

This species of Allium is gathered by Native Americans for its small edible bulbs. These contain a considerable amount of inulin, a non-reducing sugar that humans cannot digest. Because of this, these onions must be heated for a long period of time in order to convert the inulin into digestible sugars.[6]

Notes and References

  1. http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=295467 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ALDR Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, University of Texas, Allium drummondii Regel
  3. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242101355 Flora of North America Vol. 26 Page 239 Allium drummondii Regel, Trudy Imp. S.-Peterburgsk. Bot. Sada. 3: 112. 1875.
  4. CONABIO. 2009. Catálogo taxonómico de especies de México. 1. In Capital Nat. México. CONABIO, Mexico City.
  5. http://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Allium%20drummondii.png Biota of North America Program 2013 county distribution map
  6. Bailey, L.H. & E.Z. Bailey. 1976. Hortus Third i–xiv, 1–1290. MacMillan, New York.