Allium ovalifolium

Hand.-Mazz.

Amaryllidaceae Edible: Leaves 23 iNaturalist observations

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iNaturalist· cc-by-sa

Summary

Allium ovalifolium is a Chinese species of onion widely cultivated as an ornamental in other regions. It grows at elevations of 1500–4000 m. The Tibetan people of Shangri-La and nearby areas eat its scapes. Allium ovalifolium produces narrow cylindrical bulbs. Scapes are up to 60 cm tall, round in cross-section. Leaves are flat, lanceolate to ovate, up to 15 cm long by 7 cm wide. Umbel is spherical, densely crowded with many white or pale red flowers. Varieties Allium ovalifolium var. cordifolium (J.M.Xu) J.M.Xu - Sichuan Allium ovalifolium var. leuconeurum J.M.Xu - Sichuan Allium ovalifolium var. ovalifolium - Gansu, Guizhou, Hubei, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan

Description

An onion herb. There can be one or a cluster of bulbs. There are 2 leaves. They are sword shaped and 5-15 cm long by 3-7 cm wide. The base is deeply heart shaped. The stalk is 30-60 cm long.

Edible Uses

The leaves are cooked in stir fry dishes and added to soups.

Traditional Uses

The leaves are cooked in stir fry dishes and added to soups.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Distribution

It is a temperate plant. It grows on the edges of forests and along stream banks between 1,500-4,000 m above sea level. It grows in Sichuan and Yunnan in China.

Where It Grows

Asia, China, Himalayas, Tibet,

Notes

They have also been put in the family Alliaceae.

Also Known As

Gejiu, Rijiucai, Yejiu

References (3)

Ju, Y., et al, 2013, Eating from the wild: diversity of wild edible plants used by Tibetans in Shangri-la region, Yunnan, China, Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethno medicine 9:28
Kang, Y., et al, 2012, Wild food plants and wild edible fungi in two valleys on the Qinling Mountains (Shaanxi, central China) Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine; 9:26
Wang, J., et al, 2020, An ethnobotanical survey of wild edible plants used by the Yi people of Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 16:10