Flower profile
Prairie onion
Allium stellatum
Prairie onion is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: North Dakota
Quick look
Allium stellatum, commonly known as the autumn onion, prairie onion, cliff onion, or glade onion, is a North American species of wild onion in the Amaryllidaceae family that is native to central Canada and the central United States.
- It belongs to the Amaryllidaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 15 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to North Dakota. NatureServe
- iNaturalist has 101 research-grade sightings of it in North Dakota, ranking #68 among the 109 flowers on our North Dakota list. iNaturalist
Prairie onion gift ideas
Handmade prairie onion gifts from independent makers.
🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.
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Prairie onion art print
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Prairie onion greeting card
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Prairie onion mug
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Prairie onion earrings
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Prairie onion embroidery pattern
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Prairie onion sticker
When does it bloom?
There are only a handful of North Dakota flowering records, so this chart uses records from across the U.S.
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G5 Secure worldwide. NatureServe
- North Dakota
- No list North Dakota has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's North Dakota ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in North Dakota.
- Rare elsewhere
- Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: GA (S1), IL (S1), KY (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list. For context only: ASPCA lists a related species, Allium ampeloprasum (“Leek”), as toxic to dogs and cats. That doesn't tell us about this species, so keep pets away to be safe. ASPCA
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS records prairie onion in 15 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, Wyoming.
North Dakota counties with USDA records: Barnes, Benson, Bottineau, Burke, Burleigh, Cass, Cavalier, Dickey, Divide, Eddy, Emmons, Grand Forks, Griggs, Kidder, LaMoure, Logan, McIntosh, Mercer, Nelson, Pembina, Pierce, Ransom, Richland, Rolette, Sargent, Sheridan, Sioux, Steele, Stutsman, Walsh, Ward.
More North Dakota flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile ALST.
- iNaturalist, Allium stellatum: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Allium stellatum (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- North Dakota: North Dakota state noxious weeds (N.D. Admin. Code 7-06-01-02), as listed by the ND Department of Agriculture.
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Allium stellatum (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: ASPCA.
- Photo: Bryce via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.