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Allium--Garlic, onions, leeks, and chives are members of this genus Two decorative species at DBG are listed Scientific Name: Allium karataviense Common Name: Turkestan Onion Family: Amaryllidaceae Allium christophii (Star Of Persia; Persian Onion) Family: Amaryllidaceae Native: Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan DBG Location: Rock Alpine Garden, Plant Asia, Water Smart Garden Description: This ornamental onion displays globose clusters, 4 inches in diameter of pink to beige florets. The blue-green leaves are wide and tongue-shaped. Native: Iran, Turkey, Turkmenistan DBG locations: Water Smart, Shady Lane, Rock Alpine These bulbs have very large, purple, globose clusters, up to 12 inches in diameter of starshaped florets, on 12-16 inches tall stems. Flowering time: late spring Flowering time: late May Connection to Steppe: indigenous to steppe in Asia and Europe Ethnobotanical information: Several species of allium had early origins in the Near East and well-preserved remains have been found in tombs in Egypt.1 Allium species are among the oldest cultivated crops. Diverse representations in Egyptian artifacts dating to 2700 B.C suggest that onions had been cultivated and in wide use by that time 2 The present species, A. cepa (common onion) appears to have been domesticated from wild ancestors in the Central Asian mountains. 3 Onions were originally native to central Asia, but today have a worldwide geographic range. They made their way to Egypt via trade, where they became a crucial food plant in the ancient world. Because onions were a cheap source of food, Egyptian slave laborers, those who constructed the pyramids, consumed them on a daily basis.4 In addition, they were 1 Heiser, Charles B.,Seed to Civilization, 1990 Harvard University Press Fritsch, R.M., and N. Friesen. 2002. "Chapter 1: Evolution, Domestication, and Taxonomy." In H.D. Rabinowitch and L. Currah, eds. Allium Crop Science: Recent Advances. 2 3 (Brewster 1994 Crop production science in horticulture, Volume 15: Onions and other vegetable Alliums. Wallingford, Oxon, Great Britain 4 Platt, Ellen Spector. Garlic, Onion, & Other Alliums. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2003. depicted in the funerary paintings in tombs and even placed on and around mummies.5 Ancient Sumerians widely grew and cooked onions 4,000 years ago, and the plant has been discovered at the royal palace at Knossos in Crete. 6 Additionally, the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates wrote in the fifth and fourth centuries B.C. that a broad variety of onions were eaten regularly in Greece.7 Interesting notes: 5 The name "Allium" is said to come from the Greek word to avoid because of its offensive smell. The genus Allium includes more than 800 species of which only a few have been cultivated as foods. Many of the other members of this genus are popular with gardeners as easy to maintain perennials, although the smell of some members of the genus can be offputting. The smell is a consequence of breakdown of sulfur-containing compounds which is a characteristic of this family of plants. Allium occupy a unique position both as edible plants and herbal medicines, appreciated since the dawn of civilization. Onions have been shown to improve cardiovascular and blood sugar lowering abilities beneficial to gastrointestinal health. Alliums have been featured through the ages in literature, as well as in architecture and the decorative arts. Onions are the subject of Renoir and Van Gogh paintings. Russian Orthodox architecture includes an “onion dome” and the domes are included in many buildings in Europe. 8 Platt. 30 Estes, J.W. “Staple Foods: Domesticated Plants and Animals: Onion.” The Cambridge World History of Food. Ed. Kenneth F. Kiple and Kriemhild Conee Omelas: Cambridge University Press, 2000. 250. 6 7 Estes. 250. 8 Block, Eric, Garlic and Other Alliums, the Lore and Science, RSC Publishing, 2010