Taxon Report
Allium hickmanii Eastw.Hickman's onion |
 © 2017 Dylan Neubauer |
Taxon Summary
Allium hickmanii, commonly known as Hickman's onion, is a perennial bulbiferous herb in the Alliaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chaparral (maritime), Closed-cone coniferous forest, Coastal prairie, Coastal scrub, and Valley and foothill grassland, growing at elevations from 5 to 200 meters. Allium hickmanii is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.Classification
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Scientific Name: |
Allium hickmanii Eastw. |
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Common Name: |
Hickman's onion |
| Family: | Alliaceae |
| Element Code: | PMLIL02140 |
| USDA Plants Symbol: | ALHI |
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Synonyms/Other Names: |
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Ecology and Life History
| Lifeform: | perennial bulbiferous herb |
| Blooming Period: Mar-May | Mar-May |
| Elevation: | 5-200 (15-655) |
| General Habitats: | Chaparral, Closed-cone coniferous forest, Coastal prairie, Coastal scrub, Valley and foothill grassland |
| Microhabitat: | |
| Microhabitat Details: |
Conservation Status
| CA Rare Plant Rank: | 1B.2 |
| Global Rank: | G2 |
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State Rank: |
S2 |
| State List: | None |
| Fed List: | None |
| Other Status: | BLM_S; SB_SBBG; USFS_S |
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CRPR Changes: |
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Occurrence Data from the CNDDB
| Total Occurrences: | 32 |
| Element Occurrence Ranks: | |
| Excellent (A) | 4 |
| Good (B) | 6 |
| Fair (C) | 1 |
| Poor (D) | 0 |
| None (X) | 0 |
| Unknown (U) | 21 |
| California Endemic: True | |
| California Counties and Islands: Name (Code) | |
| Monterey (MNT), San Luis Obispo (SLO) | |
| Quads: Name (Quad Code) | |
| Burro Mountain (3512173), Cape San Martin (3512184), Marina (3612167), Monterey (3612158), Pico Creek (3512152), Piedras Blancas (3512163), Salinas (3612166), San Simeon (3512162), Seaside (3612157) | |
Threat List Data from the CNDDB
| Threat List Total: | 11 | |
| EOs with Threat Listed: | Total EOs | % of EOs |
| 22 | 69 % | |
| Development | 10 | 31% |
| Grazing | 5 | 15% |
| Foot traffic/trampling | 4 | 12% |
| Road/trail construction/maint. | 3 | 9% |
| Erosion/runoff | 2 | 6% |
| Military operations | 2 | 6% |
| Mining | 1 | 3% |
| Non-native plant impacts | 1 | 3% |
| ORV activity | 1 | 3% |
| Recreational use (non-ORV) | 1 | 3% |
| Vandalism/dumping/litter | 1 | 3% |
Selected References
| Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 30:483-502 (1903) |
Citation
California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 16 November 2025].