Home/Species/ Spanish Needle Onion

Allium shevockii

McNeal

Spanish Needle Onion

G2Imperiled Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →

G2ImperiledGlobal Rank

HighThreat Impact

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.146318

Element CodePMLIL022M0

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVascular Plant

Endemicendemic to a single state or province

KingdomPlantae

PhylumAnthophyta

ClassMonocotyledoneae

OrderAsparagales

FamilyAmaryllidaceae

GenusAllium

Concept Reference

Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.

Conservation Status

Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2

Review Date2025-03-13

Change Date2013-08-20

Edition Date2025-03-13

Edition AuthorsBittman, R.L. and J. Shevock, rev. Maybury (1997), L. Oliver (2003), N. Ventrella (2025)

Threat ImpactHigh

Range Extent1000-5000 square km (about 400-2000 square miles)

Number of Occurrences6 - 20

Rank Reasons

Allium shevockii is a perennial monocot occurring on metamorphic rock outcrops and talus slopes of mixed evergreen forests in Kern County, south-central California in the United States. There are an estimated eleven to twelve occurrences of this species, many of which occur in remote regions of the southern Sierra Nevada. Threats to occurrences include renewable energy development, road development, grazing, and impacts from hikers.

Range Extent Comments

Allium shevockii is endemic to Kern County of south-central California in the United States (CNPS 2025). Specifically, this species is known only from upper slopes of Spanish Needle Peak and Horse Canyon in the Tehachapi Mountains of the southern Sierra Nevada region (FNA 2002, Jepson Flora Project 2025). Range extent was estimated to be 1,391 square kilometers using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, California Natural Diversity Database occurrence data, and CalFlora observations documented between 1994 and 2025 (CCH2 2025, CNDDB 2025, CalFlora 2025, iNaturalist 2025).

Occurrences Comments

By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens, California Natural Diversity Database occurrence data, photo-based observations, and CalFlora observations documented between 1994 and 2025, it is estimated that there are thirteen occurrences rangewide (CCH2 2025, CNDDB 2025, CalFlora 2025, iNaturalist 2025). The California Native Plant Society estimates that there are twelve extant occurrences (though six have not been observed in the past 20 years) using a smaller separation distance of 1/4 mile (CNPS 2025).

Threat Impact Comments

Threats recorded for this species include renewable energy development (listed as a threat at five out of twelve occurrences), road development (listed as a threat at three occurrences), grazing (listed as a threat at three occurrences), and hiking (listed as a threat at three occurrences) (CNDDB 2025, CNPS 2025). Wind energy development likely represents a significant threat to this species, as "this plant seems to be located smack dab in the middle of a massive wind energy area, with expansions occurring" (Bittman, pers. comm., 2025). Off-road vehicles also pose a threat to populations. One occurrence also noted fresh bulldozer tracks near plants occurring on either an adjacent property or on Bureau of Land Management lands (CNDDB 2025).

McNeal (1987) noted that populations occur in a remote region of the southern Sierra Nevada, but that "access to this area will be enhanced greatly with the completion of the Pacific Crest Trail section that is currently under construction between Spanish Needle and the Owens Peak-Mt. Jenkins saddle." The Owens Peak region of the Sierra Nevada, which encompasses the type locality of Allium shevockii, is primarily used by hikers accessing this section of the Pacific Crest Trail (and spur trails), and by a wider recreational audience using the non-Wilderness areas for off-highway vehicle use and other activities (Fraga 2008).

Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Allium shevockii occurs along the margins of metamorphic rock outcrops and talus slopes from 2000-2500 m elevation (Jepson Flora Project 2025). Vegetation in the general area is open, mixed evergreen forest including pinyon pine, western juniper, and canyon live oak (McNeal 1987). Associates on steep, unstable slopes where Allium shevockii grows are typically sparse but include Arabis spp., Caulanthus pilosus, Cercocarpus intricatus, Dudleya calcicola, Epilobium canum subsp. latifolium, Eriogonum breedlovi var. shevockii, Eriogonum nudum, Eriogonum umbellatum, and others (McNeal 1987).

Terrestrial Habitats

Forest/WoodlandWoodland - MixedBare rock/talus/scree

Other Nations (1)

United StatesN2

Province	Rank	Native
California	S2	Yes

Threat Assessments

Threat	Scope	Severity	Timing
2 - Agriculture & aquaculture	Restricted (11-30%)	Moderate - slight	High (continuing)
2.3 - Livestock farming & ranching	Restricted (11-30%)	Moderate - slight	High (continuing)
2.3.4 - Scale unknown/unrecorded	Restricted (11-30%)	Moderate - slight	High (continuing)
3 - Energy production & mining	Large (31-70%)	Serious - moderate	High (continuing)
3.3 - Renewable energy	Large (31-70%)	Serious - moderate	High (continuing)
4 - Transportation & service corridors	Restricted (11-30%)	Moderate - slight	High (continuing)
4.1 - Roads & railroads	Restricted (11-30%)	Moderate - slight	High (continuing)
6 - Human intrusions & disturbance	Large (31-70%)	Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline	High (continuing)
6.1 - Recreational activities	Large (31-70%)	Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline	High (continuing)

Plant Characteristics

DurationPERENNIAL

Economic Value (Genus)Yes

Roadless Areas (1)

California (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Domeland Add.	Sequoia National Forest	3,046

References (14)

CalFlora. 2025. Information on California plants for education, research and conservation. Berkeley, California: The CalFlora Database [web application]. Available: http://www.calflora.org/. (Accessed 2025).
California Native Plant Society (CNPS), Rare Plant Program. 2025. Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants of California, online edition, v9.5. Online. Available: https://www.rareplants.cnps.org (accessed 2025).
California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB). 2025. RareFind Version 5.3.0. California Department of Fish and Game, Sacramento.
CCH2 Portal. 2025. Consortium of California Herbaria. Online. Available: https//:www.cch2.org/portal/index.php (Accessed 2025).
Fiedler, P.L. 1996. Rare Lilies of California. California Native Plant Society Press, Sacramento, California. 154 pp.
Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2002a. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 26. Magnoliophyta: Liliidae: Liliales and Orchidales. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxvi + 723 pp.
Fraga, N.S. 2008. The vascular flora of the Owens Peak eastern watershed, southern Sierra Nevada, California. Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany 25(1): 1-29.
Hickman, J. C., ed. 1993. The Jepson manual: Higher plants of California. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA. 1400 pp.
Jepson Flora Project (eds.) 2025. Jepson eFlora. Online. Available: https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/ (accessed 2025).
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
McNeal, D.W. 1987. <i>Allium shevockii</i> (Alliaceae), a new species from the crest of the southern Sierra Nevada, California. Madroño 34(2): 150-154.
Moldenke, A. R. 1976. California pollination ecology and vegetation types. Phytologia 34: 305–361.
Schlising, R.A. 2023. Biology of the rare onion named for Jepson (<i>Allium jepsonii</i>, Alliaceae) in Butte county, California. Madrono 69(3): 210-224.
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). 2024. Gap Analysis Project (GAP) Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US) 4.0: U.S. Geological Survey data release. Online. Available: https://doi.org/10.5066/P96WBCHS (accessed 2025).

Allium shevockii

Habitat

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