Allium karataviense is an Asian species of onion in the Amaryllis family.[1] [2] It is commonly known as Turkistan onion or ornamental onion.[3]
It is a native to central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan) (and cultivated elsewhere as an ornamental plant[4] [5]). It has been selected for the Great Plant Picks list of outstanding plants for the maritime Pacific Northwest.[6] The Latin specific epithet karataviense means of the Karatau mountains in Kazakhstan, in reference to the plant's native range.
Allium karataviense is an herbaceous, bulb-forming species. It produces a basal rosette of wide, arching leaves.[7] Basal leaves are broad-elliptic, spreading, gray-green, and appear in pairs. Flowers are lilac to pink in color and have a mild fragrance.[8]