Allium wallichii

多星韭 duo xing jiu Jimbur or Himalaya onion
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Amaryllidaceae
Subfamily:	Allioideae
Tribe:	Allieae
Genus:	Allium
Species:	A. wallichii
Binomial name
Allium wallichii Kunth
Synonyms[1]
Allium bulleyanum Diels Allium bulleyanum var. tchongchanense (H.Lév.) Airy Shaw Allium caeruleum Wall. Allium feddei H.Lév. Allium liangshanense Z.Y.Zhu Allium polyastrum Diels Allium praelatitium H.Lév. Allium tchongchanense H.Lév. Allium violaceum Wall. ex Regel Allium wallichianum Steud. Allium wallichii var. albidum F.T. Wang & T. Tang Nothoscordum mairei H.Lév.

Allium wallichii is a plant species native to India, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, Myanmar (Burma), Tibet and parts of China (Guangxi, Guizhou, Hunan, Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan). It grows at elevations of 2300–4800 m.^[2]

Allium wallichii has elongate roots and clusters of narrow bulbs. Scapes are up to 110 cm tall, triangular in cross-section. Leaves are flat, up to 20 mm across, usually shorter than the scape. Flowers are white, pink, red, dark purple (sometimes almost black).^[2][3][4]

Varieties

Two varieties of the species are generally accepted:^[1][2]

Allium wallichii var. wallichii --- Leaves not narrowed into a petiole at the base

Allium wallichii var. platyphyllum (Diels) J.M.Xu^[5] --- Leaves not narrowed into a petiole at the base --- found only in Yunnan

References

1. The Plant List
2. Flora of China v 24 p 175
3. Karl Sigismund Kunth. 1843. Enumeratio Plantarum Omnium Hucusque Cognitarum 4: 443.
4. Zhu, Zheng Yin. 1991. Bulletin of Botanical Research. Harbin 11(1): 33., as Allium liangshanense
5. Xu, Jie Mei. 1980. Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae. Beijing 14: 211.