Allium cernuum

Allium cernuum

Description:
This BC native perennial wild flower bears pale pink flowers in summer above gray-green leaves. The edible bulbs were prized by First Nations people as a delicacy. Height/spread 12 inches.

Notes:
When flowering, indigenous gatherers would mark patches of bulbs, and return in late summer to dig them. This ensured that the poisonous Death Camass bulbs were avoided.

Cultivation:
For maximum freshness, keep seed refrigerated in its original packaging until it is time to plant. Sow seeds in the fall in flats or directly into the garden. Leave outside over winter for germination in the spring. Grow in full sun to part shade, in well-drained, moist to dry soil. May take a few years to reach flowering size.