SafePlants

Nodding Onion (Allium cernuum)

Allium cernuum, commonly known as nodding onion or lady's leek (or nodding wild onion or Allegheny Onion), is a charming perennial plant belonging to the genus Allium. Its delicate, nodding flowers make it a favorite for gardens and natural landscapes alike.

Considerations for Pets

• This plant has an onion-like smell when bruised, which may be of interest to some animals.
• The plant grows from a bulb, and propagates by bulbs, which may be accessible to digging pets.

Considerations for Children

• The plant grows from a bulb, and propagates by bulbs, which may be of interest to digging children.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

• Scientific Name: Allium cernuum
• Common Names: Nodding onion, lady's leek, nodding wild onion, sweet onion, barbecuing onion, Allegheny Onion
• Family: Amaryllidaceae (previously Liliaceae, Lily family)
• Genus: Allium
• Taxonomic Rank: Species, Subspecies (var. cernuum)
• Synonyms: None explicitly mentioned, but referred to by multiple common names.

Distribution and Habitat

• Native to most of the US and adjacent Canada.
• Found in dry woods, rock outcroppings, prairies, rocky soils on glades, bluff edges, open woods, gravel, rocky or wooded slopes.
• Grows in nearly every state in the Union as well as in Canada.

Ecological Role

• Suitable for woodlands and prairies.
• Attracts butterflies.

Morphological Characteristics and Growth Habits

• Perennial, growing to 0.5 m (1ft 8in) by 0.3 m (1ft).
• Bulb growing from an oval or tapered bulb which smells strongly of onion. The bulbs may be elongated and pinkish colored, growing in clusters.
• The stem is 10-50 cm tall, round or flattened, curved down near the top.
• Basal leaves are erect, ascending, grass-like leaves that stay green during flowering.
• Each individual flower has a long stem, so they form graceful, chandelier-like heads above the slender, strap-shaped foliage.
• Blooms are pink to rose flower clusters and "nod" downward like little lanterns.
• Flowers from June to August, with white to pink flowers at the top of an arching stem.
• Forms colonies by bulbs.

Quirky Facts

• The name "nodding onion" comes from the fact that the flower umbels bend over at the top of the stem and points downward toward the ground.

Interactions with Other Organisms

• Attracts butterflies with its tiny, bell-shaped blossoms.

Historical and Traditional Uses

• Nodding onion is edible, and its bulbs were widely eaten by native peoples and European settlers, either raw, cooked or dried for winter.
• Used by many indigenous groups including the Ojibwa of Ontario, the Blackfoot and Stoney of Alberta.

Further Information

• Nodding Onion Gardens - Native Plant Nursery, southwest of Cleveland, Ohio, propagates Ohio wildflowers suitable for woodland, prairie & rain gardens.
• Toadshade Wildflower Farm, a mail order nursery in Frenchtown, NJ, specializes in native perennials and has Allium cernuum available.