Thunderchild Flowering Crab vs Nodding Onion - TreeTime.ca

Thunderchild Flowering Crab vs Nodding Onion

Allium cernuum

Malus x adstringens Thunderchild

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Nodding Onion
Thunderchild Flowering Crab

Nodding Onion is a native perennial wildflower known for its nodding clusters of flowers that range in color from white to pink to purple. The lightly scented blooms provide pollen and nectar for pollinators, especially bees, which can collect while hanging upside down, a capability most other insects lack.

The narrow, grass-like leaves of the Nodding Onion can be used as a seasoning in cooked dishes, though bulbs and raw leaves should not be eaten in large quantities. All parts of the plant have an onion-like aroma when bruised, which helps deter deer and rabbits. They can self-seed readily, so removing spent blooms helps manage their spread. Tolerant of a range of soils, including alkaline, it is well-suited for a variety of plantings, including pollinator gardens and naturalization projects.

Thunderchild Flowering Crab is a hybrid crab apple known for its attractive and fragrant dark pink blossoms and deep purple mature leaves.

Tree farmers will find this hybrid appealing as a pollinator for other apples, while home growers will enjoy the red pome's ability to attract flocks of Cedar Waxwings in the early spring.

This species is reportedly resistant to fireblight.

Nodding Onion Quick Facts

Thunderchild Flowering Crab Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 3a
Height: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Height: 5 m (15 ft)
Spread: 0.2 m (0.5 ft)
Spread: 4 m (12 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: full sun
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Growth form: upright to spreading, clump-forming
Spreading: seeds - high
Suckering: none
Maintenance: medium

Toxicity: raw leaves and bulbs can be midly toxic

Foliage: smells of onion when crushed, edible
Foliage: dark purple leaves
Fall colour: dark red
Flowers: white, pink, or purple nodding clusters
Flowers: dark pink blossoms
Bloom time: late spring to summer
Fruit: small red pomes that hang through the winter
Berries: small red pomes that hang through the winter
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, ON
Other Names: ladys leek, nodding wild onion