Chives,scientific name Allium schoenoprasum,is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae that produces edible leaves and flowers. Their close relatives include the common onions,garlic,shallot,leek,scallion,and Chinese onion.
The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion. Until 2010,the shallot was classified as a separate species,Allium ascalonicum. The taxon was synonymized with Allium cepa in 2010,as the difference was too small to justify a separate species.
Scallions are vegetables derived from various species in the genus Allium. Scallions generally have a milder taste than most onions and their close relatives include garlic,shallot,leek,chive,and Chinese onions.
Allium fistulosum,the Welsh onion,also commonly called bunching onion,long green onion,Japanese bunching onion,and spring onion,is a species of perennial plant,often considered to be a kind of scallion.
The tree onion is a perennial plant similar to the common onion (A. cepa),but with a cluster of bulblets where a normal onion would have flowers. Tree onions are also known as topsetting onions,walking onions,or Egyptian onions. Genomic evidence has conclusively shown that they are a diploid hybrid of the shallot and the Welsh onion (A. fistulosum). However,some sources may still treat the tree onion as A. cepa var. proliferum or A. cepa Proliferum Group.
Allium vineale is a perennial,bulb-forming species of wild onion,native to Europe,northwestern Africa and the Middle East. The species was introduced in Australia and North America,where it has become a noxious weed.
Allium monanthum,the Korean wild chive,is a spring vegetable with minuscule bulbous roots that have a mild onion flavor and found in the woodlands of Korea,Japan,northeastern Russia (Primorye),and northeastern China.
Allium nigrum,common name black garlic,broad-leaved leek,or broadleaf garlic,is a Middle Eastern species of wild onion. It lacks the onion or garlic scent shared by most of the other species in the group. The species is native to Turkey,Cyprus,Syria,Lebanon,and Israel but cultivated as an ornamental in many other places. It has become naturalized in some regions,including parts of the United States.
Allium chinense is an edible species of Allium,native to China,and cultivated in many other countries. Its close relatives include the onion,shallot,leek,chive,and garlic.
Malva verticillata,also known as the Chinese mallow or cluster mallow,is a species of the mallow genus Malva in the family of Malvaceae found in East Asia from Pakistan to China. M. verticillata is an annual or biennial that grow up to 1.7 meters in high and can inhabit woodland areas of different soil types. The small,symmetrical flowers have five white,pink or red petals (0.8 cm) and 13 or more stamens. Each flower has 3 narrow epicalyx bracts. The fruit is a dry,hairless nutlet. The leaves are simple and alternate.
Allium siculum,known as honey garlic,Sicilian honey lily,Sicilian honey garlic,or Mediterranean bells,is a European and Turkish species of plant in the genus Allium. It is native to the regions around the Mediterranean and Black Seas,and grown in other regions as an ornamental and as a culinary herb.
Allium hookeri is a plant species native to India,Sri Lanka,Myanmar (Burma),Bhutan,and southwestern China. Common names include Hooker chives and garlic chives. The plant is widely cultivated outside its native range,and valued as a food item in much of South and Southeast Asia.
Allium macrostemon,Chinese garlic,Japanese garlic or long-stamen onion,is a species of wild onion widespread across much of East Asia. It is known from many parts of China,as well as Japan,Korea,Mongolia,Tibet and Primorye. It has been collected from elevations ranging from sea level to 3000 m.
Allium hollandicum,the Persian onion or Dutch garlic,is a species of flowering plant native to Iran and Kyrgyzstan but widely cultivated as an ornamental because of its umbels of attractive purple flowers. It is reportedly naturalized in Saint Louis County,Minnesota.
Allium ramosum,called Fragrant-flowered Garlic or Chinese chives is a northern Asian species of wild onion native to Kazakhstan,Mongolia,Siberia,the Russian Far East,and northern China. The species is also naturalized in a few places in eastern Europe. In its native range,it grows at elevations of 500–2100 m.
Allium is a genus of monocotyledonous flowering plants with hundreds of species,including the cultivated onion,garlic,scallion,shallot,leek,and chives. The generic name Allium is the Latin word for garlic,and the type species for the genus is Allium sativum which means "cultivated garlic".
The precise taxonomy of the genus Allium is still poorly understood with incorrect descriptions being widespread. With over 850 species distributed over the Northern hemisphere Allium is the sole genus in the Allieae,one of four tribes of subfamily Allioideae (Amaryllidaceae). New species continue to be described and Allium is both highly variable and one of the largest monocotyledonous genera,but the precise taxonomy of Allium is poorly understood,with incorrect descriptions being widespread. The difficulties arise from the fact that the genus displays considerable polymorphism and has adapted to a wide variety of habitats. Furthermore,traditional classications had been based on homoplasious characteristics. However,the genus has been shown to be monophyletic,containing three major clades,although some proposed subgenera are not. Some progress is being made using molecular phylogenetic methods,and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region,including the 5.8S rDNA and the two spacers ITS1 and ITS2,is one of the more commonly used markers in the study of the differentiation of the Allium species.
Garlic chive flower sauce is a condiment made by fermenting flowers of the Allium tuberosum. The condiment is used in Chinese cuisine as a dip for its fragrant,savory,and salty attributes. Historically,both Chinese and Europeans have savored this flower for its aroma and mild garlic flavor.
