Allium canadense
Encyclopedia
Wild onion also known as Canada onion, wild garlic, meadow garlic, and Canadian garlic, is a perennial plant native to North America
. It has an edible bulb covered with a dense skin of brown fibers and tastes like an onion. The plant also has strong, onion-like odor. Crow Garlic (Allium vineale
) is similar, but it has a strong garlic 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 flower
s. These flowers may be partially or entirely replaced by bulblets. When present, the flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated
by bee
s and other insect
s. It typically flowers in the spring and early summer, from May to June.
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 common onion
(A. cepa) and Welsh onion
(A. fistulosum), classified as A. ×proliferum.
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. 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.
This plant can cause gastroenteritis in young children who ingest parts of this plant. Chronic ingestion of the bulbs reduces iodine uptake by the thyroid gland, which can lead to problems. No specific treatment is suggested other than to prevent dehydration (Lampe and McCann 1985). Livestock have also been poisoned by ingesting wild onions, and some have died (Pipal 1918). Horses have developed hemolytic anemia from ingesting wild onion leaves (Scoggan 1989).
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. It has an edible bulb covered with a dense skin of brown fibers and tastes like an onion. The plant also has strong, onion-like odor. Crow Garlic (Allium vineale
Allium vineale
Allium vineale is a perennial bulbflower in the genus Allium, native to Europe, north Africa and western Asia. The species was introduced in Australia and North America, where it has become an invasive species....
) is similar, but it has a strong garlic taste.
The narrow, grass-like leaves
Leaves
-History:Vocalist Arnar Gudjonsson was formerly the guitarist with Mower, and he was joined by Hallur Hallsson , Arnar Ólafsson , Bjarni Grímsson , and Andri Ásgrímsson . Late in 2001 they played with Emiliana Torrini and drew early praise from the New York Times...
originate near the base of the stem, which is topped by a dome-like cluster of star-shaped, pink or white flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s. These flowers may be partially or entirely replaced by bulblets. When present, the flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated
Pollination
Pollination is the process by which pollen is transferred in plants, thereby enabling fertilisation and sexual reproduction. Pollen grains transport the male gametes to where the female gamete are contained within the carpel; in gymnosperms the pollen is directly applied to the ovule itself...
by bee
Bee
Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...
s and other insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s. It typically flowers in the spring and early summer, from May to June.
The bulblet producing form is classified as A. canadense var. canadense. It was once thought that the tree onion
Tree onion
Tree onions, Allium ×proliferum, are similar to common onions, but with a cluster of bulblets where a normal onion would have flowers. Genomic evidence has conclusively shown that they are a hybrid of the common onion and the Welsh onion . However, some sources may still treat the tree onion as A....
could be related to this plant, but it is now known that the cultivated tree onion is a hybrid between the common onion
Onion
The onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...
(A. cepa) and Welsh onion
Welsh onion
Allium fistulosum L. is a perennial onion. Other names that may be applied to this plant include green onion, spring onion, escallion, and salad onion...
(A. fistulosum), classified as A. ×proliferum.
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. 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.
This plant can cause gastroenteritis in young children who ingest parts of this plant. Chronic ingestion of the bulbs reduces iodine uptake by the thyroid gland, which can lead to problems. No specific treatment is suggested other than to prevent dehydration (Lampe and McCann 1985). Livestock have also been poisoned by ingesting wild onions, and some have died (Pipal 1918). Horses have developed hemolytic anemia from ingesting wild onion leaves (Scoggan 1989).
Further reading
- Wild Onion: Allium Canadense
- Missouri Plants: Allium canadense
- Plants For A Future: Allium canadense
- http://lactarius.com/courses/spring_flora/allcan.htm
- http://www.sbs.utexas.edu/bio406d/images/pics/all/allium_canadense.htm
