Allium L. - Onions

Description of the genus

Perennial, scapose herbs with a bulbous base, smelling strongly of onions. Leaves mainly linear, sometimes broader. Flowers borne in a terminal umbel; bulbils often present between the flowers; sometimes replacing them. Perianth-segments persistent. Stamens free or connate. Style gynobasic. Fruit a membranous capsule; seeds black, 1-2 per loculus.

Worldwide: c.690 species from Eurasia to Africa, Sri Lanka and Mexico

Britain: 25 taxa.

Allium ursinum

Links to taxa:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this genus

SpeciesSpecies codeContent
ampeloprasum L.
carinatum L.
cepa L.
cyrilli Ten.
ericetorum Thore
fistulosum L.
moly L.
neapolitanum Cirillo
nigrum L.
oleraceum L.
paniculatum L. subsp. fuscum (Waldst. & Kit.) Arcang.
paradoxum (M. Bieb.) G. Don
pendulinum Ten.
porrum L.
roseum L.
sativum L.
schoenoprasum L.
scorodoprasum L.
sphaerocephalon L.
subhirsutum L.
triquetrum L.
tuberosum Rottler ex Spreng.
unifolium Kellogg
ursinum L.Description, Image
vineale L.

Other sources of information about Allium:

External websites:

ePIC (electronic Plant Information Center): Allium
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
GRIN (Germplasm Resources Information Network) taxonomy for plants report for Allium
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Allium
Kew Herbarium catalogue: Allium
Kew Monocotyledon checklist: Allium

Copyright: Mark Hyde, 2008-24

Hyde, M.A. (2024). UK Flora: Genus page: Allium.
https://www.ukflora.info/speciesdata/genus.php?genus_id=1354, retrieved 29 March 2024

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