Taxon Report

Allium peninsulare Lemmon var. franciscanum D. McNeal & Ownbey

Franciscan onion

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Allium peninsulare var. franciscanum, commonly known as Franciscan onion, is a perennial bulbiferous herb in the Alliaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Cismontane woodland, and Valley and foothill grassland, growing at elevations from 52 to 305 meters. Allium peninsulare var. franciscanum is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Allium peninsulare Lemmon var. franciscanum D. McNeal & Ownbey
Common Name:	Franciscan onion
Family:	Alliaceae
Element Code:	PMLIL021R1
USDA Plants Symbol:	ALPEF
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial bulbiferous herb
Blooming Period: (Apr)May-Jun	(Apr)May-Jun
Elevation:	52-305 (170-1000)
General Habitats:	Cismontane woodland, Valley and foothill grassland
Microhabitat:	Clay, Serpentine (often), Volcanic
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.2
Global Rank:	G4G5T2
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	SB_CalBG/RSABG
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	25
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	2
Good (B)	6
Fair (C)	3
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	14

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Mendocino (MEN), Napa (NAP), San Mateo (SMT), Santa Clara (SCL), Sonoma (SON)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Bodega Head (3812331), Cloverdale (3812371), Kenwood (3812245), Montara Mountain (3712254), Napa (3812233), Palo Alto (3712242), Petaluma (3812226), Petaluma River (3812225), San Francisco South (3712264), San Mateo (3712253), Sonoma (3812234), Woodside (3712243)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	6
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	13	52 %
Foot traffic/trampling	5	20%
Road/trail construction/maint.	5	20%
Non-native plant impacts	4	16%
Other	3	12%
Wood cutting or brush clearing	1	4%
Development	1	4%

Notes



Threatened by development, foot traffic, non-native plants, and trail maintenance. See Phytologia 73(4):310 (1992) for original description.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 30 January 2025].