 |
|
|
|
Wild relatives
Allium was originally part of the Liliaceae
family, but recently the
genus and its close relatives have been recognised as a distinct entity, the Alliaceae. There are 13
genera within Alliaceae, of which Allium, with between 600 and 700 species, is by far the largest. Subdivision within the group is controversial and complicated - many recognise four subgenera and at least 14 sections. The most significant sections, with regards to
cultivars, are Cepa (common and shallot onions) and Scorodon (leek, pearl onion and garlic).
Allium cepa L. is not known as a wild plant;
cultivars can be split into two groups, the common onions and the aggregatum onions:
- Common onions - the large single-bulbed varieties most frequently used in household cooking. Onions are found in temperate and warm temperate areas of the northern hemisphere.
- Aggregatum onions - contains the shallots, which are commercially grown in the subtropical Caribbean and West Africa, as well as in temperate France.
Wild progenitors of Allium cepa are believed to be a trio of wild species Allium vavilovii Popv. & Vved., Allium oschaninii B.Fedtsch. and Allium praemixtum Vved.; however, recent molecular work indicates that the two most closely related species to Allium cepa may in fact be Allium vavilovii Popv. & Vved. and, to a lesser degree, the newly described Allium asarense R.M. Fritsch & Matin. These two species occur naturally in and around Iran.
Allium ampeloprasum L. (leeks) are a taxonomically complicated group, with many
cultivars as well as wild forms.
cultivars include leeks, large-headed garlic, pearl onion and kurrat; cultivated leeks are sometimes given the scientific name of Allium porrum L. The ancestral species of all the
cultivars within this group is believed to be the wild leek, Allium ampeloprasum subsp. ampeloprasum, which is still found growing wild in Mediterranean Europe and the Near East.
Allium sativum L. (garlic) is cultivated throughout the subtropics and warm areas of the northern hemisphere and is used for medicinal purposes and a condiment. Its wild ancestor may be Allium longicuspis Regel., which is endemic to Central Asia.
Allium schoenoprasum L. (chive) is cultivated in the northern hemisphere in cool-temperate and temperate regions and grows wild in Europe and Asia.
Minor onion species used as food include:
- Allium chinense Rakkyo, a native of central and eastern China, is cultivated in the Far East and mainly used in pickles.
- Allium fistulosum L. (the bunching onion) is not known in a wild state, but is thought to have originated from wild Allium altaicum Pall. in mountainous areas of Mongolia and southern Siberia. It is also known as the Welsh onion, but the name 'Welsh' is thought to be a corruption of the German 'welsche', meaning foreign, and it has no association with Wales.
- Allium tuberosum Rottler (Chinese chives) grows in both wild and cultivated states in China and is used locally and to a limited extent elsewhere.
Other species of Allium are cultivated for their flowers, for example Allium moly L. of south-west Europe, Allium tricoccum Aiton of the USA and Allium cyaneum Regel. of China.
|
|
|
