Wild onions have been used for their edible bulbs since ancient times, both in the New and Old Worlds. The Indians ate the bulbs raw or cooked them with other foods. Many mammals, such as bear and elk also utilize these odoriferous plants. There are about 500 species of onions in the world, and all have the same distinctive flower structure - 3 sepals, 3 petals, 6 stamens and 3 fused carpels. The flowering stem is commonly 6 to 13 inches, and the flower cluster has several tissue-like bracts where the pedicels join the main stem. Flowering begins in June and continues into August at higher elevations. {Plants of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks by Richard J. Shaw pg 120}

Yellowstone Wildflowers link (this is an Adobe pdf file).

by John William Uhler

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