Hooker’s onion, Taper-tip Onion, Pink wild onion
Allium acuminatum
Family: Amaryllidaceae
What it is like
An onion family plant with a bulb. It grows to 30 cm tall and spreads to 8 cm across. The leaves are 12 mm long. The leaves taper to the tip. The bulb is 10-15 mm wide. The flowers are pinkish purple. They are urn shaped.
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 is a temperate plant. It grows naturally in Western North America from Washington to Northern California amongst dry sunny rocks on hills and plains. It grows in a sunny position in a light well drained soil. They do not suit cool wet climates. It suits hardiness zones 4-9.
Countries/locations it is found in
Australia, Canada, North America, USA
How it is used for food
The bulb is eaten raw or cooked in early spring. The leaves are eaten raw or cooked. The flowers are eaten raw in salads. The seed heads can be placed in hot ashes to extract the seeds which are then eaten.
Edible parts
Seeds, flowers, leaves, roots, bulb
How it is grown
Bulbs need to be planted fairly deeply. It should not be grown with legumes as it limits their growth. Plants can be grown from seed or by division of clumps. Seeds take a year to establish.
Its other names
Local names
Kyyga