Allium
L., Onion/Garlic/Leek/Shallot/Chive/Ramp
The genus Allium L. is distinctive for the familiar odor. There are several species many of which are edible although some are considered weeds and others are rare. Of the 103 species of listed as occurring in the United States of America 15 are exotic, and of these only 7 are found in Alabama including 3 that are exotic while most of native species can be found in California. In the Bible onion, garlic, and leek are all mentioned just once in the verse Numbers 11:5 while a few other things in the passage also have a limited occurrence in the Bible.
Onion, Allium cepa L., it the cultivated onion primary grown for the bulbs of which there are many varieties that range in size, color and flavor intensity. The garden onion has a hybrid with Welsh onion, A. fistulosum L. , and this hybrid, A. ×proliferum (Moench) Schrad. ex Willd. [cepa × fistulosum], also known as garden onion. The Welsh onion, not actually from Wales, does not have bulbs like most onions, but instead has swollen leaf bases thus it is more like a scallion although this term may apply to a specific species it is more often used for the leaves of regular onions before the bulb develops or varieties with small bulbs. Perhaps the hybrid is what is referred to here in northeast Alabama as multiplying onion although it is more likely a variety of garden onion such as A. cepa var. aggregatum G. Don. that may be considered synonymous to a type of shallot, A. ascalonicum L. None of these are reported escaped in Alabama.
Garlic, A. sativum L., or cultivated garlic, is the strongest flavored cultivated species and has been found escaped in Alabama although the exotic noxious weed wild onion or wild garlic, A. vineale L., found in lawns, fields, and other disturbed areas is much worse and it is generally to strong for culinary use. To get rid of the weed takes at least to applications of herbicide due to dormant bulblets that would be missed the first time. While looking for a couple of his neighbors I met Congressman Robert "Bob" Jones who was wearing a suit with a vest and tie while out in his yard spraying wild onions; my dad told him that cutting them on a certain day in March would work but that technique is ineffective and even if it was the day would vary from year to year similar to how the date spring flowers bloom differs. Garlic bulbs separate into cloves. These cloves can be planted in autumn and harvested after the tops die back in the summer before they resprout later in the year. This would be similar to taking up bulb plants like tulips, Tulipa L., that require more winter chilling than is typically available in the south, and putting them in a refrigerator to stimulate blooming when planting again. Most Allium species with bulbs can be treated the same way although the chilling is generally not required.
Leek, A. porrum L., or garden leek, is grown for the stem like base considering that no bulb is produced. To improve the stems the base of the plant is heeled in so that the lower portion of the leaf bases forming the stem have less chlorophyll. The broadleaf wild leek, A. ampeloprasum L., also known as elephant garlic, is an exotic species found in central Alabama. The garden leek is can be considered synonymous as a variety of the broadleaf wild leek.
Shallot, A. oschaninii O. Fedtsch, is the true shallot shallot and has cloves similar to garlic but much milder in flavor, although another shallot, A. ascalonicum L., is basically a scallion similar to Welsh onion and essentially bulb-less varieties of garden onion. Interestingly shallots are not mentioned in the Bible, but the name comes from Ashkelon, which is a Philistine city in the Bible, and where the Greeks believed shallots originated although the actual region of origin is likely much further east in Asia.
Chives, A. schoenoprasum L., is the smallest cultivated species where the fine leaves used for garnish and flavor. It is also the only species native to both the Old World and New World where the native variety is A. schoenoprasum L. var. sibiricum (L.) Hartm.
Ramp, A. tricoccum Aiton , is a one of the more widely known native edible species and it is variously known as wild leek and . It is found along much of the Appalachian Trail where is popular with through hikers who gather ramp to add flavor to their meals. There are even ramp festivals in some communities along the trail. Ramps are apparently only reported from Alabama.
Little River Canyon onion, A. speculae Ownbey & Aase, is reported to be indigenous to Lookout Mountain in Alabama although the same species is known as flat rock onion and is found in Georgia where it is listed as threatened and apparently near Stone Mountain. The other two native onions found in Alabama are meadow garlic, A. canadense L., and nodding onion, A. cernuum Roth.