Description

Allium – Onion

There are about 700 species of bulbous perennials and biennials, in this genus. Native to temperate regions in the northern Hemisphere and Western and Central Asia.  A single bulb produces clusters of off sets bulbs around it, which gradually forms clumps and range in height from 4” to 5’ feet tall.  They bear bell, star, cup, and spherical, sometimes hemispherical or ovoid occasionally pendent ½-12” wide flower heads.  The linear to strap shaped basal or stem-clasping leaves when bruised or cut excrete onion smell.  They bloom in spring and autumn and some species are edible and have culinary uses.  Contact with bulb may irritate skin. They prefer to grow in open sunny position in fertile well-drained, weed free soil. Prone to onion fly, stem eelworm, rust, onion white rot, bulb rots, White rot, mildew, smut and various fungal leaf spots thrips.   Allium cepa – Onion – Spring Onion – Scallion – Shallot – This native to Northern Hemisphere is widely cultivate as a vegetable among the Greeks and Romans and the Egyptians regarded it as sacred.  It grows 4’ feet tall and 3’ feet wide and bears flattened pale green leaves and long flowering stems that bulbils form around the flower heads.  Produces bunching mini sweet and storage onions that can be red, yellow or white given rise to a number of cultivars that are hardier Zones 11 Aggregatum Group – distinguished by cluster of small bulbs these have a more delicate taste that the spring onions and can be used instead of chives. Proliferum Group – Bears small bulbs at the top of the flower stalk Zones 4-11