Allium giganteum Regel
Ornamental onion
Giant onions are native to central Asia. They are not found in the wild in North America, but they are popular with gardeners.
Plants: 3–5′ (91–152 cm) in height, and about 1½′ (45 cm) in width. It has large bulbs, 2–3″ (5–7.6 cm) in diameter. These smell like onions when bruised.
Leaves: A basal rosette looking a bit like thick blades of grass up to 1½′ (45 cm) long.
Flowers: Giant onions are popular with gardeners for their stunning spherical purple-pink flowerheads three or four inches in diameter. Each flowerhead is supported by a smooth, cylindrical, unbranched stem. The flowerheads are unmistakable, white or pink, made up of hundreds of tiny, starlike, six-petaled flowers. Flowers appear from May to June.
Fruits:
Habitats: Forests, naturalized areas, and in disturbed areas.
Edibility: Technically edible, but not typically eaten, since they contain sulfides that are toxic to some animals and people.
Online References:
Allium procerum Trautv. ex Regel
6/17/2012 · Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay, Maine · ≈ 1 × 1½′ (34 × 52 cm) 
5/27/2016 · Acton Arboretum, Acton, Massachusetts 
5/20/2026 · Cutler Botanic Garden, Binghamton, New York · ≈ 6 × 8″ (14 × 21 cm) 
6/18/2012 · Ogunquit, Maine · ≈ 9 × 13″ (23 × 32 cm) 
6/29/2008 · MacDonalds, Westford, Massachusetts · ≈ 11 × 11″ (28 × 27 cm) 
5/27/2016 · Acton Arboretum, Acton, Massachusetts 
5/23/2024 · Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay, Maine 
6/17/2012 · Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay, Maine · ≈ 1½ × 1′ (52 × 34 cm) 
5/27/2016 · Acton Arboretum, Acton, Massachusetts 
6/29/2008 · MacDonalds, Westford, Massachusetts · ≈ 1½ × 1′ (46 × 31 cm) 
5/20/2026 · Cutler Botanic Garden, Binghamton, New York · ≈ 6 × 6″ (15 × 16 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Liliopsida | Monocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family |
| Subclass | Liliidae | Includes lilies, orchids, and many others |
| Order | Asparagales | A diverse group that includes asparagus |
| Family | Amaryllidaceae | Amaryllis family—plants that grow from bulbs. Includes onions and many others |
| Genus | Allium | Onions, leeks, shallots, garlic, scallions, etc. |
| Species | giganteum | Gigantic |
Allium giganteum description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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