Welsh onion
Allium fistulosum at a farm
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Liliopsida Order: Asparagales Family: Alliaceae Genus: Allium Image File history File links Batun. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... Divisions Green algae Chlorophyta Charophyta Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Marchantiophyta - liverworts Anthocerotophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) †Rhyniophyta - rhyniophytes †Zosterophyllophyta - zosterophylls Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses †Trimerophytophyta - trimerophytes Pteridophyta - ferns and horsetails Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta - ginkgo Gnetophyta - gnetae Magnoliophyta - flowering plants... It has been suggested that Angiospermae, and Anthophyta be merged into this article or section. ... Liliopsida is the botanical name for a class. ... Families according to the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group Agapanthus Agavaceae Alliaceae Amaryllidaceae Aphyllanthaceae Asparagaceae Asphodelaceae Asteliaceae Blandfordiaceae Boryaceae Doryanthaceae Hemerocallidaceae Hyacinthaceae Hypoxidaceae Iridaceae Ixioliriaceae Lanariaceae Laxmanniaceae Orchidaceae Ruscaceae Tecophilaeaceae Themidaceae Xanthorrhoea Xeronema Asparagales is an order of monocots which includes a number of families of non-woody plants. ... Genera See text Alliaceae is a family of herbaceous perennial flowering plants. ... Species See List of Allium species Allium is the onion genus with about 1250 species, mostly classified in its own family Alliaceae. ... Species: fistulosum
Binomial name
Allium fistulosum Linnaeus

Allium fistulosum L., widely known as the Welsh onion, is a member of the onion family, Alliaceae. The species is very similar in taste and odor to the related garden onion, Allium cepa, and hybrids between the two (tree onions) exist. The Welsh onion, however, does not develop bulbs, and possesses hollow leaves and scapes (fistulosum means "hollow"). Large varieties of the Welsh onion resemble the leek, such as the Japanese 'negi', whilst smaller varieties resemble chives. In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as  , (May 23, 1707 – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[1] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ... Binomial name Allium cepa L. Onion in the general sense can be used for any plant in the genus Allium but used without qualifiers usually means Allium cepa, also called the garden onion. ... Genera See text Alliaceae is a family of herbaceous perennial flowering plants. ... Binomial name Allium cepa L. Onion in the general sense can be used for any plant in the genus Allium but used without qualifiers usually means Allium cepa, also called the garden onion. ... For the parody newspaper, see The Onion. ... Tree onions Tree onions, also commonly called top onions or Egyptian onions, are a strong-growing onion with a bunch of bulblets where a normal onion would have flowers. ... Shallot bulbs A bulb is an underground vertical shoot that has modified leaves (or thickened leaf bases) that are used as food storage organs by a dormant plant. ... Foliage redirects here. ... Scape with leaf-like bracts on the St Brunos Lily (Paradisea liliastrum) In botany, scapes are flowering stems, usually leafless, rising from the crown or roots of a plant. ... Trinomial name Allium ampeloprasum var. ... Binomial name Allium schoenoprasum L. Chives (Allium schoenoprasum), is the smallest species of the onion family[1] Alliaceae, native to Europe, Asia and North America[2]. They are referred to only in the plural, because they grow in clumps rather than as individual plants. ...

Vernacular names

Besides Welsh onion, Allium fistulosum is known as 'Japanese bunching onion', 'green onion', 'spring onion' and 'scallion'. It is known in French as 'ciboule', and in Portuguese as cebolinha or cozida. ^[1][2] Historically, the Welsh onion was known as the 'cibol'.^[3] Chopped spring onion The common name scallion(Or Don Patch sword as on Bobobo) is associated with various members of the genus Allium that lack a fully-developed bulb. ...

The name 'Welsh onion' is a misnomer in modern English, as Allium fistulosum is not indigenous to Wales. "Welsh" preserves the original meaning of the Old English word welisc, or old German 'welsche', meaning "foreign". The species originated in Asia, possibly Siberia or China. Welsh onions are known as 蔥 (pinyin: cōng) in Chinese, 葱 or ネギ in Japanese (the Japanese transliteration, 'negi', is another term for Welsh onions), and ('pa') in Korean. An editor has expressed a concern that the topic of this article may be unencyclopedic. ... This article is about the country. ... Note: This page contains phonetic information presented in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) using Unicode. ... Siberian Federal District (darker red) and the broadest definition of Siberia (red) arctic northeast Siberia Udachnaya pipe Siberia (Russian: , Sibir; Tatar: ) is a vast region of Russia constituting almost all of Northern Asia and comprising a large part of the Euro-Asian Steppe. ... It has been suggested that Pinyin method be merged into this article or section. ... Transliteration is the practice of transcribing a word or text written in one writing system into another writing system. ...

Origin and distribution

Allium fistulosum is only known in cultivation and probably originated in north-western China. DNA studies indicate that it was derived from the wild Allium altaicum Pall., which occurs in Siberia and Mongolia, where it is occasionally collected as a vegetable for local use or for export to China. Cultivation of Allium fistulosum dates back to at least 200 BC in China. It reached Japan before 500 AD and spread further to South-East Asia and Europe. In China Allium fistulosum is the most important Allium species fulfilling the culinary role of both the common onion and leek in Europe; in Japan it is now second in importance to the bulb onion (Allium cepa L.). The crop is grown throughout the world, but the main area of cultivation remains eastern Asia from Siberia to Indonesia; elsewhere it is mainly a crop of home gardens. In Africa it is locally important only and is reported from Sierra Leone, Ghana, Cameroon, Congo, DR Congo, Sudan, Kenya, Zambia and Zimbabwe. A leaf onion reported from Nigeria probably also belongs to Allium fistulosum.^[1][2] Species See List of Allium species Allium is the onion genus with about 1250 species, mostly classified in its own family Alliaceae. ... For the parody newspaper, see The Onion. ...

Uses around the world

The Welsh onion is widely used in cooking. It is a particularly important ingredient in Asian cuisine, especially in East and Southeast Asia. It is used in Russia in the spring for adding green leaves to salads. In Japan it is used in miso soup and in the takoyaki dumpling dish, among others. Asian cuisine is a term for the various cuisines of South, East and Southeast Asia and for fusion dishes based on combining them. ... East Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms. ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... Miso soup with miso, wakame, negi and aburaage Miso soup packets Miso soup (味噌汁, miso shiru in Japanese) is a traditional Japanese soup consisting of a stock called dashi into which is mixed softened miso paste. ... A Boat of Takoyaki Square takoyaki pan with 16 molds Takoyaki ) originated in Osaka, Japan and is literally fried or baked octopus) is a popular Japanese dumpling made of batter, diced octopus, tempura scraps (tenkasu), pickled ginger, konnyaku, and green onion, topped with okonomiyaki sauce, green laver (aonori), mayonnaise, and... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Two types of Allium fistulosum are grown and sometimes distinguished as cultivar-groups: Japanese Bunching Group and Welsh Onion Group. Japanese bunching onion is grown mainly in eastern Asia for its thick, blanched pseudostems and is eaten as a potherb, e.g. in sukiyaki and chicken dishes; welsh onion is grown for its green leaves, which are used in salads, or as a herb to flavour soups and other dishes. The latter is most common in Africa. In the Brazzaville-Kinshasa area (Congo and DR Congo), whole plants are harvested and eaten as a boiled vegetable. In South-East Asia (Java) the plants are also eaten whole, either steamed or after heating over a fire for a short time, and in Japan seedlings of 7–10 cm tall are used in special dishes. Allium fistulosum has not been used in a processed form until recently, when a dehydration industry started. The product is mainly used as an additive to preprocessed food such as instant noodles. The young inflorescence is sometimes deep-fried and eaten as a snack.^[1][2]

The plants are said to reduce or prevent termite infestation in gardens. Diluted pressed juice is used against aphids in China. The therapeutic qualities attributed to Allium fistulosum are many, especially in Chinese medicine. It is used to improve the functioning of internal organs and the metabolism, for the prevention of cardiovascular disorders, and to prolong life. It is further reported to improve eyesight, and to enhance recovery from common colds, headaches, wounds and festering sores.^[1][2]

It is often grown in a bunch as an ornamental plant. An ornamental plant is a plant that is grown for its ornamental qualities, rather than for its commercial or other value. ...

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Grubben, G.J.H. & Denton, O.A. (2004) Plant Resources of Tropical Africa 2. Vegetables. PROTA Foundation, Wageningen; Backhuys, Leiden; CTA, Wageningen.
2. ^ ^{a b c d} PROTAbase on Allium fistulosum
3. ^ Ward, A: "The Encyclopedia of Food and Beverage", New York, 1911. Retrieved January 5, 2007.

External links

• Plant Resources of Tropical Africa
• PROTAbase
• Welsh onion in flower image

Allium fistulosum Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1248x2260, 404 KB) Summary Tab. ...