Onion
Sign in to saveThe onion (Allium cepa , from Latin ), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion which was classified as a separate species until 2011. The onion's close relatives include garlic, scallion, leek, and chives.
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The onion is a widely cultivated vegetable belonging to the Allium genus, closely related to garlic, leeks, and chives. It matters because it is the most commonly grown species in its genus and serves as a staple ingredient in cuisines around the world.
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Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- taxon
- Subclass of
- useful plant
- Parent taxon
- Allium
- Image
- Purple onion 01.jpg
Show 7 more facts
- P105
- species
- P4000
- capsule
- P1703
- Apis cerana
- P366
- food
- P9714
- Myanmar
Article
28 sectionsContents
- Taxonomy and etymology
- Description
- History
- Uses
- Culinary
- Other uses
- Composition
- Nutrients
- Phytochemicals
- Adverse effects and toxicity
- Eye irritation
- Other effects
- Producing onions
- Cultivation
- Pests and diseases
- Production
- Storage
- Varieties
- Common onion group (var. ''cepa'')
- Aggregatum group (var. ''aggregatum'')
- Hybrids with ''A. cepa'' parentage
- In popular culture
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Sources
- Further reading
- External links
The onion (Allium cepa , from Latin ), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion which was classified as a separate species until 2011. The onion's close relatives include garlic, scallion, leek, and chives.
The genus contains several other species variously called onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion Allium fistulosum, the tree onion Allium × proliferum, and the Canada onion Allium canadense. The name wild onion is applied to a number of Allium species, but A. cepa is exclusively known from cultivation. Its ancestral wild original form is not known, although escapes from cultivation have become established in some regions. The onion is most frequently a biennial or a perennial plant, but is usually treated as an annual and harvested in its first growing season.