Allium canadense, the Canada onion, Canadian garlic, wild garlic, meadow garlic and wild onion
Description
Allium canadense has an edible bulb covered with a dense skin of brown
fibers. The plant also has strong onion odor and taste.
The narrow, grass-like leaves originate near the base of the stem, which is topped by a dome-like cluster of star-shaped, pink or white . These flowers may be partially or entirely replaced by .
Varieties
The bulblet-producing form is classified as
A. canadense var.
canadense.
It was once thought that the
tree onion could be related to this plant,
but it is now known that the cultivated tree onion is a hybrid between the
Onion (
A. cepa) and
Welsh onion (
A. fistulosum), classified as
A. ×
proliferum.
Five varieties of the species are widely recognized:
-
Allium canadense var. canadense - most pedicels replaced by , rarely producing fruits or seeds; most of the range of the species.
-
Allium canadense var. ecristatum Ownbey tepals deep pink and rather thick; coastal plain of Texas.
-
Allium canadense var. fraseri Ownbey - flowers white; Great Plains from Texas to Kansas.
-
Allium canadense var. hyacinthoides (Bush) Ownbey - pink, thin, flowers fragrant; northern Texas and southern Oklahoma.
-
Allium canadense var. lavandulare (Bates) Ownbey & Aase - flowers lavender, not fragrant; northern Arkansas to South Dakota.
-
Allium canadense var. mobilense (Regel) Ownbey - flowers lilac, lacks bulblets; southeastern US.
Uses
The Canada onion is cultivated as a vegetable in home gardens in
Cuba, scattered locally in the south to western parts of the island. It was formerly collected from the wild to be eaten by Native Americans and by European settlers.
People in the Cherokee Nation and Chickasaw Nation continue the tradition of picking and cooking wild onions in early spring.
Various Native American tribes also used the plant for other purposes: for example, rubbing the plant on the body for protection from insect, lizard,
scorpion, and
tarantula bites.
The whole plant can be eaten raw, with the tougher outer layers removed. It can also be cooked and included in any recipe calling for onions.
Notes
Further reading
External links
