Allium - Definition and Overview

Allium
Wild Garlic (Allium vineale)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Liliopsida Order: Asparagales Family: Alliaceae Genus: Allium
Species
See List of Allium species

Allium is the onion genus with about 1250 species, mostly classified in its own family Alliaceae. Some botanists classify it in the Lily family (Liliaceae).

They are perennial bulbous plants. They occur in temperate climates of the northern hemisphere, except for a few species occurring in Chili (as Allium juncifolium), Brazil (Allium sellovianum) or tropical Africa (Allium spathaceum ). They can vary in height between 10 cm and 1.5 m. The flowers form an umbel at the top of a leafless stalk. The bulbs can vary between very small to rather big and form little bulbs around the old one.

Its members include many valued garden herbs including onions, garlic, leeks and chives.

The strong "oniony" odor is characteristic of the whole genus but not all members are equally flavorful and some species are troublesome weeds.

Nodding Wild Onion (Allium cernuum)

White Wild Onion (Allium textile)

Species

See : List of Allium species

The most important species are  :

• Allium acuminatum: Tapertip Onion
• Allium ampeloprasum: Broadleaf Wild Leek
• Allium anceps: Twinleaf Onion
• Allium angulosum: Mouse Garlic
• Allium ascalonicum: Shallot
• Allium atrorubens: Darkred Onion
• Allium campanulatum: Dusky Onion
• Allium canadense: Meadow Garlic; Wild Garlic; Wild Onion
• Allium cepa: garden onion
• Allium kurrat: Egyptian Leek
• Allium neapolitanum: White Garlic, Daffodil Garlic, Flowering Onion
• Allium nevii: Nevius' Garlic
• Allium nigrum: Black Garlic
• Allium oleraceum: field garlic
• Allium porrum: Garden Leek
• Allium ramosum: Chinese Chives, Fragrant-flowered Garlic
• Allium sativum: Cultivated Garlic
• Allium schoenoprasum: Chives Wild Chives; cive; schnittlaugh
• Allium triquetrum: Threecorner Leek; Three-cornered Leek
• Allium tuberosum: Chinese Chives; Garlic Chives; Oriental Garlic
• Allium ursinum: Wild Garlic or Ramsons
• Allium vineale: Wild Garlic; Crow Garlic; Stag's Garlic

Source

GardenWeb's Hortiplex Database 2003-11-16 (http://hortiplex.gardenweb.com/plants/nph-ind.cgi?name=gw3000017&f=d&gl=2&p=1)

External links

Section Herbal information

• Allium sativa (Garlic) (http://www.herbmed.org/herbs/herb140.htm) HerbMed
• Garlic (http://www.healthy.net/library/books/hoffman/materiamedica/garlic.htm) Herbalist David Hoffmann @ Health World
• Garlic (http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/11571.cfm?RecordID=412&tab=HC) Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre
• Garlic (http://www.mcp.edu/herbal/garlic/garlic.pdf) (pdf) Longwood Herbal Task Force

Section Eclectic herbal information

• Allium cepa (Onion) (http://www.ibiblio.org/herbmed/eclectic/kings/allium-cepa.html) King's American Dispensatory @ Henriette's Herbal
• Onion (Allium cepa) (http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/o/onion-07.html) Mrs. Grieve's "A Modern Herbal" @ Botanical.com
• Allium sativum (Garlic) (http://www.ibiblio.org/herbmed/eclectic/kings/allium-sati.html) King's American Dispensatory @ Henriette's Herbal
• Garlic (Allium sativum) (http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/g/garlic06.html) Mrs. Grieve's "A Modern Herbal" @ Botanical.com
• Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) (http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/c/chives65.html) Mrs. Grieve's "A Modern Herbal" @ Botanical.com
• Onion, Potato (Allium cepa, var. aggregatum)  (http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/o/onipot08.html) Mrs. Grieve's "A Modern Herbal" @ Botanical.com
• Onion, Tree (Alliurn cepa, var. proliferum)  (http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/o/onitre09.html) Mrs. Grieve's "A Modern Herbal" @ Botanical.com

Section Homeopathic information

• Allium cepa (all-cep.) (http://www.homeoint.org/books3/kentmm/all-cep.htm) "Kent's Lectures on Homeopathic Materia Medica" by Dr Robert Séror
• Allium cepa (http://www.homeoint.org/books5/allenprimer/all-c.htm) "A Primer of Materia Medica for practitioners of Homœopathy" by Timothy Allen