Taxon Report

Allium howellii Eastw. var. howellii

Howell's onion

Print Report


© 2013 Neal Kramer

Taxon Summary

Allium howellii var. howellii, commonly known as Howell's onion, is a perennial bulbiferous herb in the Alliaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Valley and foothill grassland, growing at elevations from 50 to 2200 meters. Allium howellii var. howellii is ranked 4.3, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Not very threatened in California.

  Classification
Scientific Name:
 Allium howellii Eastw. var. howellii
Common Name:
 Howell's onion
Family: Alliaceae
Element Code: PMLIL02162
USDA Plants Symbol: ALHOH
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History
Lifeform: perennial bulbiferous herb
Blooming Period: Mar-Apr Mar-Apr
Elevation: 50-2200 (165-7220)
General Habitats: Valley and foothill grassland
Microhabitat: Clay (sometimes), Serpentine (sometimes)
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status
CA Rare Plant Rank: 4.3
Global Rank: G3G4T3
State Rank:
 S3
State List: None
Fed List: None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:
  • added to 4.3 on 2017-04-04

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB
Total Occurrences: 0
Element Occurrence Ranks:
   Excellent (A) 0
   Good (B) 0
   Fair (C) 0
   Poor (D) 0
   None (X) 0
   Unknown (U) 0

Location
California Endemic:  True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Fresno (FRE), Kern (KRN), Merced (MER), San Benito (SBT), San Luis Obispo (SLO), Santa Clara (SCL), Tulare (TUL)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Alta Sierra (3511865), Ballinger Canyon (3411984), Bena (3511836), Breckenridge Mtn. (3511845), Caliente Mtn. (3511917), California Valley (3512031), Cerro Colorado (3612068), Chimineas Ranch (3511928), Delano West (3511973), Democrat Hot Springs (3511856), Edison (3511837), Elkhorn Hills (3511915), Fellows (3511925), Hammonds Ranch (3612076), Hepsedam Peak (3612037), Keene (3511825), Knob Hill (3511858), Lake Isabella North (3511864), Maricopa (3511914), McKittrick Summit (3511937), Mercey Hot Springs (3612067), Monolith (3511813), Oil Center (3511848), Oiler Peak (3511835), Ortigalita Peak (3612078), Packwood Creek (3512051), Painted Rock (3511927), Panoche (3612057), Panoche Pass (3612161), Panorama Hills (3511926), Pentland (3511913), Pine Mountain (3511857), Pozo Summit (3512033), Rio Bravo Ranch (3511847), San Felipe (3612184), Sand Canyon (3511868), Santa Margarita Lake (3512034), Shale Point (3511958), Simmler (3511938), Tehachapi NE (3511823), Tehachapi North (3511824), Tehachapi South (3511814), Tejon Hills (3511817), Tent Hills (3512072), The Dark Hole (3512083), Wells Ranch (3511916), White River (3511877), Woody (3511867)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB

Threat List Total: 0
EOs with Threat Listed: Total EOs % of EOs
0 0 %

Notes
Many occurrences historical; need field surveys.
Threats:
Possibly threatened by grazing and development.
Taxonomy:

Selected References

Proposed Addition to CRPR 4.3, G3G4T3 / S3 (2017)
Leaflets of Western Botany 2(7):109 (1938)
Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 27 January 2025].