Allium humile (Farn)
Allium humile (Click to enlarge)
| Local name | Farn |
| Botanical name | Allium humile |
| Family | Amaryllidaceae |
| Description and uses | Also known as Small Alpine Onion, is a species of onion found at high altitudes in the Himalayas. Flowers are white, star-shaped, in a rather lax umbel 2.5-4 cm across, borne on a leafy stem. Narrow-elliptic petals, about 1 cm long, spread outwards, and are much longer than the stamens. Out flower stalks are usually longer than the flowers. Spathe lobes are broadly ovate. Leaves are many, flat, 2-5 mm broad, blunt, usually shorter at flowering than the stem. The stem itself is 7-25 cm tall. Bulbs are clustered, cylindrical, covered with fibrous leaf-bases. Small Alpine Onion is found on open alpine slopes, from Pakistan to W Nepal, at altitudes of 3000-4000 m. flowering: June-August. It is locally used as a spice in food and also cures fever. |