190 MISC. PUBLICATION 4 2 3, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



Key to the species 



1. Outer bulb coats traversed by coarse, interwoven fibers (2). 



2. Flowers mostly transformed into bulblets; perianth about 6 mm. long, rose- 

 colored, the segments acuminate 1. A. sabulicola. 



2. Flowers not transformed into bulblets; ovary and capsule crested; outer 

 bulb coats copiously fibrous (3) . 

 3. Scapes from an elongate, horizontal to vertical rootstock, this bearing the 

 oblong or narrowly ovoid bulb at its base; leaf blades 4 mm. wide or 



wider 2. A. plummerae. 



3. Rootstock short, or none; bulbs broadly ovoid; leaf blades 3 (rarely 4) mm. 

 wide or narrower (4) . 

 4. Crests of the ovary low and inconspicuous; scapes seldom less than 25 

 cm. long; perianth segments 5 to 7 mm. long, pale to rather deep 



pink, not conspicuously striped 3. A. geyeri. 



4. Crests fairly prominent; scapes not more than 20 cm. long; perianth 

 segments 7 to 10 mm. long, pale pink or nearly white, with a con- 

 spicuous, darker-colored, central stripe 4. A. deserticola. 



1. Outer bulb coats not coarsely fibrous (5). 



5. Umbel nodding, the scape more or less recurved at apex; scapes from an 

 elongate, horizontal to vertical rootstock, bearing the oblong or narrowly 

 ovoid bulb at its base ; perianth segments about 5 mm. long, obtuse or 



acutish ; ovary and capsule crested 5. A. cerntjum. 



5. Umbel erect; rootstock none (except in A. kunthii); bulbs broadly ovoid or 



subglobose (6). 



6. Outer bulb coats distinctlv alveolate, the alveolas more or less rectangular 



(7). 



7. Alveolas of the outer bulb coats about equally long and wide, relatively 



large, the ridges thick; perianth 8 to 12 mm. long, the segments 



obscurely serrulate, long-acuminate, with recurved tips; ovary and 



capsule not prominently crested 6. A. acuminatum. 



7. Alveolas small, the ridges thin; perianth segments not serrulate, not or 



but slightly recurved at the tip; ovary and capsule prominently 



crested (8). 



8. Perianth 8 to 11 mm. long; scapes usually less than 15 cm. long; outer 



bulb coats very dark brown, the alveolas mostly elongate vertically 



and often with very sinuous walls 7. A. bigelovii. 



8. Perianth 5 to 8 mm. long; scapes usually more than 15 cm. long; outer 

 bulb coats lighter brown, the alveolas mostly elongate hori- 

 zontally 8. A. PALMERI. 



6. Outer bulb coats not or obscurely alveolate, but sometimes finely and 



sinuously striate (9). 



9. Scapes tall, seldom less than 25 cm. long; leaves 2 or more, shorter than 



to little surpassing the scape; ovary and capsule not crested or 



obscurely so; rootstock usually well developed; perianth segments 



ochroleucous, with a dark central stripe 9. A. kunthii. 



9. Scapes low, not more than 15 cm. long; leaf solitary, much surpassing the 



scape; ovary and capsule prominently crested; rootstock none (10) . 



10. Crests of the ovary narrowly triangular, acute or acuminate, 1 mm. 



long or longer; perianth usually bright pink, commonly about 



twice as long as the stamens 10. A. cristatum. 



10. Crests of the ovary broadly triangular, truncate to acutish, less than 

 1 mm. long; perianth pale pink or nearly white, commonly much 

 less than twice as long as the stamens 11. A. nevadense. 



1. Allium sabulicola Osterh., Torrey Bot. Club Bui. 27: 539. 1900. 



White Mountains (Apache and Greenlee Counties) , at Black River 

 (Goodding 526), and Hannigan Meadow, 9,500 feet (Kearney and 

 Peebles 12291). New Mexico and eastern Arizona. 



Aven Nelson reduced A. sabulicola to a synonym of A. nuttallii 

 Wats, and possibly it is only an abnormal, bulblet-bearing form of that 

 species, but the problem calls for further study. 



