Flower ID: IMG_1831.JPG-08-16-2017 Flower name (scientific): Allium cernuum Roth PY: 1798. Pronunciation guide: (phonetic spelling) AL-ee-um SAIR-new-um Flower name (common): Nodding Wild Onion Family name (common): Lily (Onion) Family name (scientific): Liliaceae (Alliaceae, Amaryllidaceae) Scientific name origin: Genus: Latin for garlic. Specific epithet: Cernuum is Latin for stooping or bowing forwards. Common name origin: From the appearance of the flowers bending downward and the edible bulbs. Flower description: Size: 0.25 inches (6 mm). Petal count: Six-parted (six tepals). Color: White to pink. Other: flower arrangement, Cluster-spherical. Plant description: Size: 12 to 24 inches (30 to 61 cm). Stem hairy: Glabrous. Other: Leaf description: attachment is basal, type is simple. Size: Leaves are approximately 10 to 25 cm long and 2 to 6 mm wide. Color: Medium green. Hairy: Glabrous. Other: Grass-like leaves. Shape: leaf, (basal) linear (IL). Origin (native, introduced, invasive): Native Status (common, uncommon, threatened, rare): Only observed in one location in Putnam Park. Bloom time (typical): July to August Cycle (annual, biennial, perennial): Perennial Habitat: Prairies, sun or part shade, dry to moderate moisture. Fruit: Seed: Black with a dull or shining appearance. Importance to wildlife: Click for pollinator information on this flower. Similar species (if any): Allium stellatum (Prairie Onion) is similar. The latter can be distinguised from Allium cernuum by the more nodding character of the inflorescences for A. cernuum, but A. stellatum can also display this characteristic for plants that are not mature. A. stellatum has a spreading and open perianth (non-reproductive parts of the flower), whereas the perianth of A. cernuum is mostly bell-shaped. In Wisconsin, A. stellatum is a more northern distributed species, and A. cernuum is a more southern distributed species. Ethnobotany: This plant was widely used by at least 23 Native American tribes including the Chippewa (Smith, p. 406, 1932) as a food source, both cooked and eaten raw. Several tribes used the plant as either a cold remedy, dermatological aid, gastrointesinal aid, or pulmonary aid (Moerman, p. 57, 1998). Latitude: Longitude: Altitude: Distribution: In Wisconsin: (Dane, Door, Eau Claire, Grant, Green, Kenosha, Kewaunee, Lafayette, Milwaukee, Monroe, Racine, Sauk, Walworth, Waukesha) Click here for distribution map In US: (AL, AR, AZ, CO, DC, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KY, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, NE, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, WV, WY) In Canada: (AB, BC, ON, SK) References: Synonym(s): Basionym: na Homotypic Synonym(s): POWO lists 3 homotypic synonyms for this species. Heterotypic Synonym(s): POWO lists 15 heterotypic synonyms for this species. Autonym: na