Watermelon Onion

This short flower grows up to 6 inches (15 cm) tall. Its burgundy stem is very thick and splits into many branching stems a quarter of the way up, and the huge, orange leaves are sickle shaped with smooth edges. Many leaves grow at the base of the stem, and more leaves alternate on the stem from about halfway up, up to the flower head.

2 to 6 large flowers grow on alternate sides up the length of the stem. The flowers are 5 cm (2.0 inches) wide, with solid muted purple petals and a violet central disk. The flower head is made up of handfuls of petals in raised layers. They detach easily.

It has a weak scent that smells like onion, and it has lots of pollen, but it does not cause any allergic reactions. It is a self-pollinator, but is also particularly attractive to insects.