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Allium platycaule is a species of wild onion known by the common name broadstemmed onion or flat-stem onion. It is native to northeastern California and nearby parts of Oregon and Nevada where it is found on slopes of some elevation. This onion grows from a gray bulb two to three centimeters wide and has a flattened stem which may bulge in the middle and narrow to thin wings along the sides. The long, flat leaves are sickle-shaped. Atop the stem is an inflorescence which may have as many as 90 flowers in it. Each flower may be up to a centimeter and a half wide but the tepals are quite narrow so as to be almost threadlike. The inflorescence therefore may be a dense ball of filaments. The flowers are generally bright pink to magenta. The leaves, bulbs, and seeds were utilized as food by the Paiute people.
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