''Allium asarense'' is a species of

wild onion Wild onion can refer to * any uncultivated species in the genus '' Allium'', especially: **'' Allium bisceptrum'' ** '' Allium canadense'' ** ''Allium tricoccum ''Allium tricoccum'' (commonly known as ramp, ramps, ramson, wild leek, wood leek, o ...

in the family

Amaryllidaceae The Amaryllidaceae are a family of herbaceous, mainly perennial and bulbous (rarely rhizomatous) flowering plants in the monocot order Asparagales. The family takes its name from the genus ''Amaryllis'' and is commonly known as the amaryllis fa ...

, native to north-central

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. Out of the approximately 1000 species of ''Allium'' it and ''

Allium vavilovii ''Allium vavilovii'' is a species of wild onion in the family Amaryllidaceae, native to southern Turkmenistan and northeastern Iran. Out of the approximately 1000 species of ''Allium'' it and ''Allium asarense ''Allium asarense'' is a species ...

'' are the closest known relatives of the common onion ''

Allium cepa An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion ...

''.

Distribution and habitat

''Allium asarense'' is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

, where it is found only in the north-central region of the country. This species grows in limestone, rocky slopes where it inhabits habitats such as cliffs and mountain peaks. It naturally grows at altitudes of 2000 metres above sea level.

References

asarense Endemic flora of Iran Plants described in 2001 {{Allium-stub