kvandevere's Identifications

All these photos of Hickman’s Onion, some pink, some white, were taken in the same 3’ x 3’ area in a dry road side drainage ditch.

Hickman's Onion (Allium hickmanii) growing in a grassy ditch along W. Machine Gun Flats Rd in maritime chaparral/grassland habitat.

Hickman's Onion (Allium hickmanii) is a rare perennial onion that arises from a bulb. It is Endemic (limited) to California. California Rare Plant Rank: 1B.2 (rare, threatened, or endangered in CA and elsewhere). It grows from a pale brown or gray bulb. Stem is 5-17 cm tall. It has 1-2 narrow leaves, often longer than the stem. Pedicels (that hold the inflorescence) are 4--12 mm long. Inflorescence has 4--15 white to pale pink flowers, each less than 1cm long. Anthers are white. There is usually a horizontal stripe on each petal. Peak bloom time: April-early May.

Calflora: (includes species distribution map in CA) https://www.calflora.org/app/taxon?crn=197

Endangered Species Fact Sheets (85 species in Monterey County) http://www.elkhornsloughctp.org/factsheet/factsheet.php?SPECIES_ID=78
"Habitat: Coastal prairie or grassy openings in Monterey pine (Pinus radiata) forest or the edges of vernal pools, usually on damp clay-loam soils (but not heavy adobe), underlain by sandstone or shale, associated with purple needlegrass (Stipa pulchra), California oat grass (Danthonia californica), western fescue (Festuca occidentalis), and blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium bellum).
Key Characteristics: perennial 5–17 cm tall; bulb 8–12 mm long, ovoid to ± spheric, outer bulb-coat cells transversely elongate, in obscure, wavy herringbone pattern; leaves 2, ± cylindric, 1.5 x stem; umbel 4–15-flowered, pedicels 4–12 mm long; perianth parts 5–7 mm long, persistent, spreading, erect in fruit, lanceolate to narrowly ovate, entire, white to pale pink; ovary crests none or of 3 rudimentary lobes, central on capsule when developed. Flowering Period: March to May
Reference Populations: Fort Ord National Monument, Veterans Memorial Park (Monterey County)
Global Distribution: Endemic to the central California coast in Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties." http://www.elkhornsloughctp.org/factsheet/factsheet.php?SPECIES_ID=78

CNPS Rare Plant Inventory: https://rareplants.cnps.org/Plants/Details/84

Plants of Monterey County: an Illustrated Field Key, 2nd edition, Matthews and Mitchell, 2015, pp. 320-321.

Flora of Fort Ord: Monterey County, California, David Styer, 2019, p. 209.

Jepson eFlora https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=12585

Monterey County Wildflowers: a Field Guide, Yeager and Mitchell, 2016, p. 17.

Monterey County Wildflowers, Trees & Ferns https://montereywildflowers.com/alliaceae/

Fort Ord A Love Story, Dorothy E. Denning, 2024 (1,000+ color photos), p. 89.

In General:

Endangered Species Fact Sheets (85 species in Monterey County) http://www.elkhornsloughctp.org/factsheet/

Leaf Terminology: Simple Diagrams/Definitions: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Leaf_morphology.svg

Plant Identification Terminology: An Illustrated Glossary, 2nd ed., by James G. Harris and M. W. Harris, 2022.

Flora of North America http://beta.floranorthamerica.org/Main_Page (search by scientific name)

5-minute video of Fort Ord Flora and Fauna, produced by David Styer: https://fortordcleanup.com/archives/2020/natural-treasures-of-fort-ord-90-amazing-photographs/