Menu list goes here

Herbal Database Search Results

Back to: Pathways Main Search Page For Metaphysical uses visit The Witchs Haven

Allium fistulosum

Allium fistulosum: Plant
Photo by Ken Fern. High resolution version

Common name:	Welsh Onion	Family:	Alliaceae
Author:	L.	Botanical references:
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	Although no individual reports regarding this species have been seen, there have been cases of poisoning caused by the consumption, in large quantities and by some mammals, of certain members of this genus. Dogs seem to be particularly susceptible[76].
Range:	E. Asia? The original habitat is obscure.
Habitat:	Not known in the wild.
Edibility Rating (1-5):	5	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Bunching Onion [H], Negi [E], Onion Green [H], Ts'Ung Shih Chiu [E], Welsh Onion [H,P,B],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	fistulosum = tubular;
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	China

Physical Characteristics

Bulb growing to 0.6m by 0.2m . It is not frost tender. It is in flower in July. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees and insects. We rate it 5/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Cultivar 'Evergreen White Bunching': Cultivated Beds.
Cultivar 'Red Welsh': Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

Flowers; Leaves; Root.

Bulb - raw or cooked[2]. A strong onion flavour, it can be used in salads, as a cooked vegetable or as a flavouring in cooked foods[22, K]. The bulbs are rather small, perhaps 25mm in diameter, and are sometimes used as spring onions[183]. A nutritional analysis is available[218].
Leaves - raw or cooked[2]. They have a mild onion flavour[183] and can be added to salads or cooked as a vegetable[116]. The leaves are often available all through the winter if the weather is not too severe[K]. They contain about 1.4% protein, 0.3% fat, 4.6% carbohydrate, 0.8% ash, some vitamin B1 and moderate levels of vitamin C[179].
Flowers - raw. A pleasant onion flavour, but they are rather on the dry side[K].

Composition

Root (Dry weight): In grammes per 100g weight of food:
Water: 0 Calories: 349 Protein: 18.6 Fat: 3.5 Carbohydrate: 70.9 Fibre: 9.3 Ash: 7
In milligrammes per 100g weight of food:
Calcium: 640 Phosphorus: 477 Iron: 13 Sodium: 174 Potassium: 2233 VitaminA: 7326 Thiamine: 0.7 Riboflavin: 0.93 Niacin: 5.81 VitaminC: 221
Source: [218]
Leaves (Fresh weight): In grammes per 100g weight of food:
Protein: 1.4 Fat: 0.3 Carbohydrate: 4.6 Ash: 0.8

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antibacterial; Antifungal; Antipyretic; Diuretic; Expectorant; Stomachic.

The bulb is antibacterial, antiseptic, diaphoretic, diuretic, galactogogue, stomachic, vermifuge and vulnerary[176, 218]. It is used in the treatment of colds and abdominal coldness and fullness[176]. A tea made from the roots is a children's sedative[218]. Use of the bulb in the diet impedes internal parasites[218]. Externally, the bulb can be made into a poultice to drain pus from sores, boils and abscesses[254].

Other Uses

Repellent.

The juice of the plant is used as a moth repellent. The whole plant is said to repel insects and moles[20].

Cultivation details

An easily grown plant[203], it prefers a sunny position in a light well-drained soil[1] but tolerates most soils[1, 52] including those that are damp and acid[203]. Prefers a pH in the range 6.5 to 7.5[206], but it tolerates a pH in the range 4.9 to 7.5.
A very hardy species, it is related to the cultivated onion (A. cepa) and could be of value in breeding programmes. It is sometimes cultivated in the garden for its edible leaves which can be produced throughout the winter if the weather is not too severe[K]. A very popular cultivated vegetable in the Orient[206], it probably arose through cultivation from A. altaicum[203]. The oriental forms of this species, known as bunching onions, tend to be hardier and more robust than the welsh onion[206]. There are two basic forms, multi-stem types and single-stem types. The single-stem types divide less freely than the multi-stems[206]. Plants will often retain their leaves even when covered in snow[206]. They are also tolerant of high temperatures and can be grown in the tropics[206].
The plants are often eaten by slugs[K].
The bulbs should be planted fairly deeply[1]. Most members of this genus are intolerant of competition from other growing plants[203].
Grows well with most plants, especially roses, carrots, beet and chamomile, but it inhibits the growth of legumes[18, 20, 54]. This plant is a bad companion for alfalfa, each species negatively affecting the other[201].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[233].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. The seed germinates over a wide range of temperatures, it is faster at higher temperatures[206]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. When well-grown, the plants should be ready to be planted out in the summer. If they are not large enough at this time, grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter and plant them out in late spring.
Division of the plants is very easy and can be done at almost any time of the year though the spring is probably best. The divisions can be planted out straight into their permanent positions if required.

Cultivars

'Red Welsh' 'Early Red' 'Ciboule Commune Rouge': An old form of the perennial bunching onion, it is similar to the true Welsh onion[183]. It grows in clusters of 2 - 3 stalks, each stalk to 35cm long and coppery-red in colour[183].The leaves are light-green in colour and have a strong flavour[183].
'Evergreen White Bunching' 'Evergreen Hardy Long White' 'Nebuka': A long, slender stalk, 10 - 22cm to the first leaf[183]. A tender and mildly pungent flavour, the plants produce little or no bulbs[183]. An extremely winter-hardy plant, it is resistant to thrips, smut and pink root[183].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

PFAF Web Pages

This plant is mentioned in the following web pages

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for allium fistulosum (a possible synonym).

[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[18] Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants. Watkins 1979
Details of beneficial and antagonistic relationships between neighbouring plants.

[20] Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Garden Way, Vermont, USA. 1978 ISBN 0-88266-064-0
Fairly good.

[22] Sholto-Douglas. J. Alternative Foods.
Not very comprehensive, it seems more or less like a copy of earlier writings with little added.

[52] Larkcom. J. Salads all the Year Round. Hamlyn 1980
A good and comprehensive guide to temperate salad plants, with full organic details of cultivation.

[54] Hatfield. A. W. How to Enjoy your Weeds. Frederick Muller Ltd 1977 ISBN 0-584-10141-4
Interesting reading.

[76] Cooper. M. and Johnson. A. Poisonous Plants in Britain and their Effects on Animals and Man. HMSO 1984 ISBN 0112425291
Concentrates mainly on the effects of poisonous plants to livestock.

[116] Brooklyn Botanic Garden Oriental Herbs and Vegetables, Vol 39 No. 2. Brooklyn Botanic Garden 1986
A small booklet packed with information.

[176] Yeung. Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, Los Angeles 1985
A very good Chinese herbal.

[179] Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977
A translation of an ancient Chinese book on edible wild foods. Fascinating.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[201] Allardice.P. A - Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers Ltd. 1993 ISBN 0-304-34324-2
A well produced and very readable book.

[203] Davies. D. Alliums. The Ornamental Onions. Batsford 1992 ISBN 0-7134-7030-5
Covers about 200 species of Alliums. A very short section on their uses, good details of their cultivation needs.

[206] Larkcom J. Oriental Vegetables John Murray 1991 ISBN 0-7195-4781-4
Well written and very informative.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

Readers Comments

Back to: Pathways Home page, Main Search Page Help Bibliography

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Allium+fistulosum
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Allium+fistulosum

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
(You can copy, distribute, display this works but: Attribution is required, its for Non-Commercial purposes, and it's Share Alike (GNUish/copyleft) i.e. has an identical license.)
We also ask that you let us know (michael@thewitchshaven.com) if you link to, redistribute, make a derived work or do anything groovy with this information.

Home :: View Cart :: Shipping & Returns :: Contact Us :: Log In :: Privacy Policy :: Home :: Philosophy

We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.