Allium stellatum (Prairie Onion)

Allium stellatum, also called prairie onion, is an perennial Allium relative native to the central plains of the US and Canada. Noted for its showy puff-balls of starry light purple flowers, similar to other allium blooms, prairie onion is a magnet for pollinators and adds the appeal of larger allium species to much smaller spaces. Due to the pungent, oniony scent of the plants' tissues and bulbs, it is naturally deer and rabbit resistant, and its attractive flowers are important to a number of important pollinators, including hover flies and native bees, through the mid-summer.

Growing to only 12-18" tall in narrow clumps, foliage emerges from large, rounded, onion-like bulbs; because of these thick root structures, prairie onion thrives in drier rocky or sandy soils, and is highly tolerant of drought and black walnut soils. Because of the slow growth rate of these bulbs, however, prairie onions will not tolerate competition with taller plants that may shade them out, nor with those that have aggressive roots. Allium stellatum grows best in full sun to light shade, and its tolerance of dry, nutrient poor soils makes it a great addition to rock gardens, especially when mixed with low-growing sedums or other low, xeric plants.