Allium canadense, the Canada onion, Canadian garlic, wild garlic, meadow garlic and wild onion[6] is a perennial plant native to eastern
North America[a] from
Texas to
Florida to
New Brunswick to
Montana. The species is also cultivated in other regions as an ornamental and as a garden culinary
herb.[7] The plant is also reportedly naturalized in Cuba.[8]
Description
Allium canadense has an edible bulb covered with a dense skin of brown
fibers. The plant also has strong onion odor and taste.[9] Crow garlic (Allium vineale) is similar, but it has a strong garlic taste.[10][failed verification]
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
flowers. These flowers may be partially or entirely replaced by
bulblets.[10] When present, the flowers are
hermaphroditic (both male and female organs) and are
pollinated by American
bees (not honeybees) and other
insects. It typically flowers in the spring and early summer, from May to June.[10][11][12][13][14][15]
Varieties
The bulblet-producing form is classified as A. canadense var. canadense.[10] It was once thought that the
tree onion could be related to this plant,[16] 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.[17]
The Canada onion is cultivated as a vegetable in home gardens in
Cuba,[b] 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.[18] People in the Cherokee Nation and Chickasaw Nation continue the tradition of picking and cooking wild onions in early spring.[19] 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.[20]
The whole plant can be eaten raw, with the tougher outer layers removed.[9] It can also be cooked and included in any recipe calling for onions.[9] The species has an onion odor; if this is lacking, it may be that the poisonous
deathcamas has been collected instead of A. canadense.[9][dubious –
discuss]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.[21]Livestock have also been poisoned by ingesting wild onions, and some have died.[22] Horses have developed
hemolytic anemia from ingesting wild onion leaves.[23][24]
Notes
^In
Canadian French, the plant is known as ail du Canada ("Canadian garlic") and oignons des prairies ("onion of the
prairies/meadows").
^In
Cuban Spanish, known mainly as cebolla silvestre ("wild onion"), with other rare colloquial names.
References
^illustration from Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. Illustrated flora of the northern states and Canada. Vol. 1: 499.
^Correll, D. S.; Johnston, M. C. (1970). Manual of the Vascular Plants of Texas. Richardson: University of Texas at Dallas.
^Great Plains Flora Association, ed. (1986). Flora of the Great Plains. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas.
^Schwegman, J. E (1991). "The Vascular Flora of Langham Island, Kankakee County, Illinois". Erigenia. 11: 1–8.
^Voss, E. G. (1972). "Gymnosperms and Monocots". Michigan Flora. Bloomfield Hills, Michigan: Cranbrook Institute of Science.
^Wunderlin, R. P. (1998). Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida. Gainesville: University Press of Florida.
^Food Resource, Oregon State University.
"ALLIUM CANADENSE, TREE ONION, WILD ONION". originally from Hedrick, U.P. ed., Sturtevant's Notes on Edible Plants (1919). Archived from
the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved February 21, 2011.
^Hanelt, Peter (2001). "Alliaceae". In P. Hanelt (ed.). Mansfeld's Encyclopedia of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops (except ornamentals). Berlin: Spring-Verlag. p. 2250.
ISBN3-540-41017-1.
^Munro, Derek B.
"Allium canadense (wild onion)". Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Canadian Poisonous Plants Information System. Government of Canada. Retrieved May 28, 2011.