Allium platyspathum Schrenk

Bulb solitary or rarely paired, cylindric to ovoid-cylindric, 1--2 cm in diam.; tunic blackish gray to black, thinly papery, decaying quickly; inner layers grayish lilac or light pinkish white, membranous. Leaves broadly linear, shorter to slightly longer than scape, 2--17 mm wide, flat, apex obtuse or gradually acute. Scape 10--60(--100) cm, terete, covered with leaf sheaths only at base or for 1/3--1/2 its length. Spathe 2-valved, persistent; beak very short. Umbel hemispheric to globose, densely many flowered. Pedicels subequal, equaling to 2 × as long as perianth, ebracteolate. Perianth pink or pinkish lilac; segments lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 6--8 × 1.5--2 mm; inner ones slightly longer than outer. Filaments 1--1.5 × as long as perianth segments, connate at base and adnate to perianth segments. Ovary subglobose, with concave nectaries at base. Style exserted. Fl. and fr. Jun--Aug. 2 n = 16.

It is a temperate plant. It grows on alpine meadows and stony slopes as well as along river banks between 1,900-3,700 m above sea level in western China.

The bulbs and fresh leaves are used in place of onion.