Allium bisceptrum aka Twincrest Onion

Allium bisceptrum grows from bulbs. It belongs to the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae. Its common names include aspen onion and twincrest onion. It comes from the western United States. Its range reaches western New Mexico. It also grows in Idaho, southeastern Oregon, Nevada, and Utah. The range includes eastern California and Arizona as well. It grows in meadows and aspen groves, sometimes on open slopes. Kew places it in the temperate climate zone.

Plants reach about 1 foot (0.3 metres) in height. The small bulbs measure about 10–15 millimetres across. Their size makes large harvests hard to gather. The leaves and bulbs have a strong onion taste. Plants For A Future lists flowers from July to August. Each flower has both male and female organs. Bees and other insects pollinate them. The available species account does not state the flower colour. It gives no mature spread either.

Grow this onion in full sun rather than shade. It prefers moist soil that drains well. Sandy and loamy soils both suit it. It accepts soil that is mildly acid or mildly alkaline. Neutral soil suits it too. Plants For A Future lists USDA zones 7–10. It also gives cold tolerance of about 14–23°F (−10 to −5°C). The account recommends milder sites. It also says to plant the bulbs fairly deep. It lists garden beds as one place to grow this species.

You can eat the bulbs fresh or cooked. Recorded ways to cook them include roasting and boiling. Harvests have taken place in spring or early summer. Eat the leaves fresh or cooked, as seasoning like chives. Raw flowers serve as a salad garnish. The seeds are edible too. First, heat the seed heads in hot ashes for a short time. Recorded uses include the plant's juice to help restore appetite. Another recorded use of the juice is to repel moths.

Grow new plants from seed or by division, splitting plants. Sow seed in spring in a cold frame. Move seedlings into pots once you can handle them. Keep young plants under glass through at least their first winter. Plant them out in spring once growth is strong. Spring also suits division. You can also divide plants while they grow. Keep the split plants sheltered until they take root. Then plant them out. Plants For A Future records no weed potential for this species.