Geyer's onion, Wild Onion, Cebadilla, Omoir
Allium geyeri

Family: Amaryllidaceae

What it is like

An onion family plant. A bulb plant. It grows to 45 cm high. The bulbs are 15 - 25 mm across. The bulbs are oval. The leaves are flattened and 15-50 cm long. The flowers are bell-shaped and white or pale pink. There are up to 25 flowers in a head.

There are about 300-700 Allium species. Most species of Allium are edible (Flora of China). All alliums are edible but they may not all be worth eating! They have also been put in the family Alliaceae.

Where it is found

It grows naturally in low meadows and by streams in the Rocky Mountains in Western North America from Washington, Texas, Oregon, New Mexico, and Nevada. It suits hardiness zones 5-10.

Countries/locations it is found in

Australia, Canada, North America, USA

How it is used for food

The bulbs are eaten raw or cooked. They are often dried and later cooked. The leaves are eaten raw or cooked. The flowers are used raw to flavour salads.

Edible parts

Flowers, leaves, root, bulb

How it is grown

It can be grown from seed or division of the bulbs in summer when they die down. Bulbs should be planted fairly deeply.

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Allium dictyotum Greene; Allium funiculosum A. Nelson; Allium geyeri var. geyeri; Allium pikeanum Rydb.;