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Allium falcifolium

Sickle-leaf Onion · Scytheleaf Onion

Family AmaryllidaceaeGenus Allium

A head of narrow-petalled magenta flowers on a short stem, flanked by two gray-green sickle-shaped leaves, on bare red gravel
FlowerWalter Siegmund (talk)CC BY-SA 3.0

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

Habit
bulbous geophytePlants of the World Online
Habit
Perennial, Forb/herbPLANTS Database
Flower
Reddish purple, whiteFlora of North America
Native range
California, OregonGBIF Backbone Taxonomy

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; PLANTS Database — USDA NRCS; Flora of North America — Flora of North America Editorial Committee; GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

This source reports two treatments. Both are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty High Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around September 24, 2027 for a May 3 last frost. Too late for spring 2027 — that needed starting on September 23, 2026.

  1. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

  2. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

  3. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

about 6 months from start to step 3. Germination happens during step 3, in 14 days.

33% germination in 14 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Allium p. 91Public domain
Show the original text
Allium (Liliaceae). This genus showed much diversity. Germination patterns ranged from simple D-70 in A. falcifolium germ. 70-40-70(1/3 in 2nd w) and none in 40-70.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Allium p. 91. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 2

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

  1. Cold moist stratification

    Temperature: 40°F 4°C

Germination happens during step 1.

0% germination.

Nothing germinated at 40.

This source doesn't state how long step 1 lasts.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Allium p. 91Public domain
Show the original text
Allium (Liliaceae). This genus showed much diversity. Germination patterns ranged from simple D-70 in A. falcifolium germ. 70-40-70(1/3 in 2nd w) and none in 40-70.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Allium p. 91. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

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