Onion Allium cepa

LATIN NAME: Allium cepa

COMMON NAME: Onion

The onion is the round, golden bulb of the cool field, and the round, white flower heads rise on the tall, hollow stalks in the second season. The upright, biennial or perennial plant carries the hollow, cylindrical leaves of the blue-green and the round, dense umbels of the small, white or greenish flowers on the tall, hollow stalks through the early summer, to be followed by the small, black seeds of the round heads. The bulbs have a very long record as the staple of the old kitchens, and the plant is a fine, historic presence of the vegetable garden. It is a plant of the open, sunny, rich, moist, well-drained ground.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The onion is a historic subject of the plant science, and the round bulbs keep showing up in the work on the allium crops. The breeding of the onions for the firm bulbs, the keeping quality and the sharp flavour has been studied steadily, and it keeps appearing in the studies of the bulb crops, the allium genetics and the members of the amaryllis family. The hollow, cylindrical leaves and the round umbels have also made it a fine study plant, and the onion is a regular subject of the work on the round bulbs of the cool world.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

The onion is a fine, historic plant of the vegetable garden. The round bulbs have a very long record as the staple of the old kitchens, sliced into the salads, fried into the golden bases of the stews and pickled into the sharp relishes of the winter shelves, and the hollow, blue-green leaves come to the table as the early green onions of the spring. The plant is one of the fine choices for the vegetable garden, the allium bed and the store, and it has been written about in the culinary and the agricultural papers for the round bulbs and the very long history. It is a fine, historic plant of the open, sunny, rich, moist, well-drained garden.

Water well in the dry spells, for the round bulbs like the steady moisture of the open ground.

To grow the onion from seed, sow the small, black seeds a centimetre down in a tray of moist seed compost, keep the tray in a bright, open spot and water gently, then set the young plants out in the open ground. The seedlings are up within a couple of weeks and grow on steadily. With the sun and the rich, moist, well-drained ground, the round bulbs will swell through the warm season.

Usually thought of as a vegetable, the onion in its dry powder form is one of man most important flavouring herbs. Onion powder is widely used as a seasoning in the prepared food industry, in snack foods, soups, sauces, and much more.