Product Code Database
Chives, scientific name Allium schoenoprasum, is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae.
A perennial plant, A. schoenoprasum is widespread in nature across much of Eurasia and North America. It is the only species of Allium native to both the New World and Old World.
The leaves and flowers are edible. Chives are a commonly used herb and vegetable with a variety of culinary uses. They are also used to repel insects.
The are pale purple, and star-shaped with six , wide, and produced in a dense inflorescence of 10–30 together; before opening, the inflorescence is surrounded by a papery bract. The are produced in a small, three-valved capsule, maturing in summer. The herb flowers from April to May in the southern parts of its habitat zones and in June in the northern parts. Allium schoenoprasum factsheet , from Kemper center for home gardening, retrieved on June 13, 2006, based on the position of the botanical Garden (Missouri)
Chives are the only species of Allium native to both the New World and the .Ernest Small James Cullen, Sabina G. Knees, H. Suzanne Cubey (Editors) Sometimes, the plants found in North America are classified as A. schoenoprasum var. sibiricum, although this is disputed. Differences between specimens are significant. One example was found in northern Maine growing solitary, instead of in clumps, also exhibiting dingy grey flowers.
The terete hollow leaves distinguish the plant from Allium tuberosum (garlic chives).
The name of the species derives from the Greek language σχοίνος, skhoínos (Cyperaceae or rush) and πράσον, práson (leek). Its English language name, chives, derives from the French language word cive, from cepa, the Latin word for onion. (2025). 9781405487993, Parragon. ISBN 9781405487993 In the Middle Ages, it was known as 'rush leek'.
Several subspecies have been proposed, but are not accepted by Plants of the World Online, , which sinks them into two subspecies:
In Asia it is native from the Ural Mountains in Russia to Kamchatka in the far east. It grows natively in the Korean peninsula, but only the islands of Hokkaido and Honshu in Japan. Likewise its natural range in China only extends to Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia, though it is also found in adjacent Mongolia. It is native to all the nations of the Caucasus. However, in Central Asia it is only found in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. To the south its range also extends to Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, and the Western Himalayas in India.
It is native to all parts of Europe with the exception of Sicily, Sardinia, the island of Cyprus, Iceland, Crimea, and Hungary and other offshore islands. It also is not native to Belgium and Ireland, but it grows there as an introduced plant.
In North America it is native to Alaska and almost every province of Canada, but has been introduced to the island of Newfoundland. In the United States the certain native range in the lower 48 is in two separated areas. In the west its range is in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado. In the east it extends from Minnesota, eastward through Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Then northward into New York and all of New England. The Plants of the World Online database lists it as introduced to Illinois and Maryland and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS database additionally lists it as growing in Nevada, Utah, Missouri, and Virginia without information on if it is native or introduced to those states.
In other areas of the Americas chives grow as an introduced plant in Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica, Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Trinidad, Colombia, Bolivia, and the southern part of Argentina in Tierra del Fuego.
The plant provides a great deal of nectar for pollinators. It was rated in the top 10 for most nectar production (nectar per unit cover per year) in a United Kingdom plants survey conducted by the AgriLand project which is supported by the UK Insect Pollinators Initiative.
Chives are cultivated both for their culinary uses and for their ornamental value; the violet flowers are often used in ornamental dry bouquets.
Chives thrive in well-drained soil, rich in organic matter, with a pH of 6–7 and full sun. They can be grown from seed and mature in summer, or early the following spring. Typically, chives need to be germination at a temperature of and kept moist. They can also be planted under a Row cover or germinated indoors in cooler climates, then planted out later. After at least four weeks, the young shoots should be ready to be planted out. They are also easily propagated by division.
In cold regions, chives die back to the underground bulbs in winter, with the new leaves appearing in early spring. Chives starting to look old can be cut back to about 2–5 cm. When harvesting, the needed number of stalks should be cut to the base. During the growing season, the plant continually regrows leaves, allowing for a continuous harvest.
Chives are susceptible to damage by leek moth larvae, which bore into the leaves or bulbs of the plant.
Chives have a wide variety of culinary uses, such as in traditional dishes in France, Sweden, and elsewhere.Försök til en Flora Oeconomica Sveciæ by A. J. Retzius (1806) In his 1806 book Attempt at a Flora ( Försök til en flora), Anders Jahan Retzius describes how chives are used with pancakes, soups, fish, and sandwiches. They are also an ingredient of the sour cream sauce with the traditional herring dish served at Swedish midsummer celebrations. The flowers and scapes may also be used to garnish dishes. Allium schoenoprasum, from Mountain valley growers, accessed on June 13, 2006
In Poland and Germany, chives are served with quark. Chives are one of the fines herbes of French cuisine, the others being tarragon, chervil and parsley. Chives can be found fresh at most markets year-round, making them readily available; they can also be dry-frozen without much impairment to the taste, giving home growers the opportunity to store large quantities harvested from their own gardens.
It was mentioned in 80 A.D. by Marcus Valerius Martialis in his "Epigrams" (13.18 porri sectivi):Epigrams translated by Walter C.A. Ker, Loeb Classics Library, 1919, v. 2, p. 396.
The Romans believed chives could relieve the pain from sunburn or a sore throat. They believed eating chives could increase blood pressure and act as a diuretic.
Romani people have used chives in fortune telling. Chives, from "Sally's place", accessed on June 13, 2006 Bunches of dried chives hung around a house were believed to ward off disease and evil.
In the 19th century, Netherlands farmers fed cattle on the herb to give a different taste to their milk.
External links
|
|
