Slender Wheatgrass vs Nodding Onion - TreeTime.ca

Slender Wheatgrass vs Nodding Onion

Elymus trachycaulus

Allium cernuum

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Slender Wheatgrass
Nodding Onion

Slender Wheatgrass is a native perennial bunchgrass common across North America. It establishes quickly, making it effective for site recovery.
It produces upright seed heads that provide seasonal interest and seed for wildlife, and favoured for browsing by elk and sheep. Its seeds are eaten by birds and small mammals, and it provides cover for wildlife.
Slender Wheatgrass is among the first native grasses used for reclamation in western Canada and the U.S. It does exceptionally well in saline soils.

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.

Slender Wheatgrass Quick Facts

Nodding Onion Quick Facts

Zone: 1b
Zone: 3a
Height: 0.8 m (2.5 ft)
Height: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 0.2 m (0.5 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: any
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: upright, clump-forming
Growth form: upright to spreading, clump-forming
Spreading: tillering - high, seeds - medium
Spreading: seeds - high
Maintenance: medium


Toxicity: raw leaves and bulbs can be midly toxic
Foliage: smells of onion when crushed, edible
Flowers: white, pink, or purple nodding clusters
Bloom time: late spring to summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Native to: AB, BC, SK, ON
Other Names: slender wildrye, western wheatgrass
Other Names: ladys leek, nodding wild onion