WRONGLY SUSPECTED SPECIES, 141 



showy blue or white flowers, which appear in early spring. It is com- 

 mon on dry hillsides up to an altitude of about 8,000 feet. 



It is one of the many plants which, perhaps, on account of its bitter 

 taste, has been suspected in Montana of killing stock. No concrete 

 cases have been reported to the Department against it. The fresh 

 leaves from flowering plants gathered June 9 tasted a little like sun- 

 flower seed when first chewed, but after a minute or two it became 

 bitter and disagreeable. Rabbits refused to eat the leaves when fresh. 

 An inspection of plants in the field revealed but one or two which 

 showed signs of having been grazed upon. 



EDIBLE PLANTS WHICH HAVE BEEN SUSPECTED OF BEING 



POISONOUS. 



WILD ONION. 



{Allium spp.) 



k^trong-scented stemless herbs with linear leaves and a flowering 

 stalk rising from a coated bulb. The plants attain the height of 

 from 3 to 20 inches, and the flowers are borne in flat-topped clusters. 

 The odor of the plant and the shape of the flowering cluster should at 

 once distinguish it from death camas, with which it seems to have been 

 confused by some stockmen. The species of wild onion are generally 

 distributed throughout Montana and grow in much drier situations 

 than does the death camas. The taste of the pink-flowered wild onion 

 {A. hremstylum S. Wats.) (PI. XXXII) does not difler materially from 

 that of the ordinary onion, but may perhaps be somewhat stronger. 

 It is claimed to be more pungent than the white-flowered species (^1. 

 reticulatutn Eraser), which grows in great abundance in open grassy 

 fields and which has a larger bulb. 



The white-flowered wild onion was in blossom on May 23 on the 

 slope leading up to the bench land from the east side of Bozeman 

 Creek. On June 11 the pink-flowered species was in bloom on the 

 north slope of Bridger Peak at an altitude of about 6,000 feet. For a 

 number of years complaints had been made of the poisonous action of 

 wild onion, which was suspected of causing the death of sheep in a 

 number of instances. We were unable, however, to obtain any 

 evidence against any of the species, and could not understand whv the 

 plant should be suspected. But during the present season it was 

 found that a considerable number of stockmen applied the name wild 

 onion to death camas without distinguishing between the two species. 

 Apparently this confusion of names accounts for the suspicion that 

 has attached to the wild onion. It is not believed that the species of 

 wild onion have any injurious effect upon animals except to taint the 

 meat and the milk with a disagreeable flavor. A few residents of 



