Introductory
SPECIES: Allium fibrillum | Garlic Mustard 



ABBREVIATION : 
ALLFIB

SYNONYMS : 
   Allium collinum Dougl.


SCS PLANT CODE : 
   ALFI


COMMON NAMES : 
   fringed onion
   Idaho onion
   Blue Mountain onion


TAXONOMY : 
The currently accepted scientific name of fringed onion is Allium
fibrillum Jones.


LIFE FORM : 
Forb

FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS : 
No special status

OTHER STATUS : 
USFS Region 1 status:  MT - sensitive list [11]

Fringed onion is recommended for threatened status in Montana.  It is a
regional endemic [6].  The species is rare to secure globally but
critically imperiled in Montana [10].


COMPILED BY AND DATE : 
Tara Y. Williams, September 1990


LAST REVISED BY AND DATE : 
NO-ENTRY


AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION : 
Williams, Tara Y. 1990. Allium fibrillum. In: Remainder of Citation

DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Allium fibrillum | Garlic Mustard 



GENERAL DISTRIBUTION : 
Fringed onion occurs on scablands and high mountain ridges in eastern
Oregon, southeastern Washington, northern Idaho, and extreme western
Montana [2,4].


ECOSYSTEMS : 
   FRES29  Sagebrush
   FRES36  Mountain grasslands


STATES : 
     ID  MT  OR  WA


ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS : 
     GLAC


BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS : 
   8  Northern Rocky Mountains


KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS : 
   K047  Fescue - oatgrass
   K050  Fescue - wheatgrass
   K051  Wheatgrass - bluegrass
   K055  Sagebrush steppe
   K056  Wheatgrass - needlegrass - shrubsteppe


SAF COVER TYPES : 
NO-ENTRY


SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES : 
NO-ENTRY


HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES : 
NO-ENTRY

VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Allium fibrillum | Garlic Mustard 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Fringed onion is valuable as an early range plant [2].


PALATABILITY : 
NO-ENTRY


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


COVER VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
NO-ENTRY


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
NO-ENTRY


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
The only recent collection in Montana is threatened by mining activity
in the west Cabinet Mountains [5].

BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Allium fibrillum | Garlic Mustard 



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Fringed onion is a small native perennial onion.  Its almost spherical
nonrhizomatous bulb is 0.25 to 0.6 inch (0.6-1.5 cm) thick.  The outer
bulbcoats are net veined and without fibers until old.  The vein nets
are irregular, narrow, contorted with wavy or curving sides, often
reddish, and become fiber fringed with age.  The two or three leaves are
rather narrowly linear, 3 to 6 inches (8-15 cm) long.  The white flowers
are in a small, terminal, flat-topped umbel, subtended by two ovate
bracts less than 0.5 inch (1.3 cm) long.  The six petallike segments are
abruptly sharp tipped and 0.25 inch (0.6 cm) long.  The three outer
segments are ovate, the three inner ones lance shaped and untoothed.
The stames are very short, only about half as long as the floral
segments.  The fruiting capsules are slightly ridged [2].


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
   Geophyte


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
Fringed onion can regenerate vegetatively from the bulbs or by seed
sexually produced by pollination and fertilization [3].


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
Fringed onion grows in shallow soils in moist, open, or partially shaded
areas at low elevations [4,5].  It has been reported in Montana at 4,500
feet (1,452 m) [8].


SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
NO-ENTRY


SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
Fringed onion flowers from May through July, but mostly in June [4,5].
By August, like most other onions, it dries up and disappears [2].

FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Allium fibrillum | Garlic Mustard 



FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : 
NO-ENTRY


POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY : 
   Geophyte, growing points deep in soil

FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Allium fibrillum | Garlic Mustard 



IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : 
NO-ENTRY


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : 
NO-ENTRY


PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : 
NO-ENTRY


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : 
NO-ENTRY


FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
NO-ENTRY

REFERENCES
SPECIES: Allium fibrillum | Garlic Mustard 



REFERENCES : 

 .  Bernard, Stephen R.; Brown, Kenneth F. 1977. Distribution of mammals,
       reptiles, and amphibians by BLM physiographic regions and A.W. Kuchler's
       associations for the eleven western states. Tech. Note 301. Denver, CO:
       U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 169 p. 
       [434]

 .  Dayton, William A. 1960. Notes on western range forbs: Equisetaceae
       through Fumariaceae. Agric. Handb. 161. Washington, DC: U.S. Department
       of Agriculture, Forest Service. 254 p.  [767]

 .  Dittberner, Phillip L.; Olson, Michael R. 1983. The plant information
       network (PIN) data base: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, Utah, and
       Wyoming. FWS/OBS-83/86. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior,
       Fish and Wildlife Service. 786 p.  [806]

 .  Hitchcock, C. Leo; Cronquist, Arthur; Ownbey, Marion. 1969. Vascular
       plants of the Pacific Northwest. Part 1: Vascular cryptograms,
       gymnosperms, and monocotyledons. Seattle, WA: University of Washington
       Press. 914 p.  [1169]

 .  Lesica, Peter. 1984. Rare vascular plants of Glacier National Park,
       Montana. Missoula, MT: University of Montana, Department of Botany. 27
       p.  [12049]

 .  Lesica, P.; Moore, G.; Peterson, K. M.; Rumely, J. H. (Montana Rare
       Plant Project). 1984. Vascular plants of limited distribution in
       Montana. Monograph No. 2. Montana Academy of Sciences, Supplement to the
       Proceedings, Volume 43. Bozman, MT: Montana State University, Montana
       Academy of Sciences. 61 p.  [11656]

 .  Stickney, Peter F. 1989. Seral origin of species originating in northern
       Rocky Mountain forests. Unpublished draft on file at: U.S. Department of
       Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station, Fire
       Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT; RWU 4403 files. 7 p.  [20090]

 .  Maguire, Bassett. 1939. Distribution notes concerning plants of Glacier
       National Park, Montana-- II. Rhodora. 41: 504-508.  [12969]

 .  Raunkiaer, C. 1934. The life forms of plants and statistical plant
       geography. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 632 p.  [2843]

.  Shelly, J. Stephen, compiler. 1990. Plant species of special concern.
       Helena, MT: Montana Natural Heritage Program. 20 p.  [12960]

.  U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Region. 1988.
       Sensitive plant field guide [Montana]. Missoula, MT.  [12279]

.  U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service. 1982.
       National list of scientific plant names. Vol. 1. List of plant names.
       SCS-TP-159. Washington, DC. 416 p.  [11573]

Related categories for Species: Allium fibrillum | Garlic Mustard