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How many different kinds of Perennial Alliums are out there?

 
Timothy Norton
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There is a lot of talk about different perennial alliums but I haven't come crossed anything outlining all the options that are out there.

From bunching alliums, topsetting alliums, alliums that produce corms... there is quite a bit of variety out there!

What kinds of perennial alliums do you know about? Any that you recommend over others?

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I grow:
- chives
- garlic chives
- North Dakota winter onions
- mouse garlic
- garlic
- potato onions

Occasionally, things that look like chives come up in the lawnish parts of our yard but they're pretty ephemeral and even if I dodge them with the mower, they seem to disappear on their own. I haven't figured out what they really are.
 
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I guess shallots come under potato onions, as they form bulb divisions too?

I also grow babbington leek, which is a rather garlicky flavoured leek relative that mostly propagates from top set bulbils, but also can be perennial if cut back to the ground. I gather you can treat leeks this way too, but so far I've not had much success with true leeks yet.

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People use as food about 300 of the 1000 species of allium.

Wild onions grow around here. I read about people harvesting ramps back East.

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The only ones I am familiar with are Egyptian Walking Onions (Allium × proliferum) and Potato Onions (Allium cepa var. aggregatum).

I have grown chives (Allium schoenoprasum) which were very pretty though the wildlife liked them.

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Welsh onions (Allium fistulosum) are worth adding to the list. They don't form a true bulb, just keep sending up new shoots from the base. Divide them every couple of years and you've got a permanent onion supply without much effort. Good flavour too, somewhere between chives and a spring onion.

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Eino Kenttä
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Ramsons (Allium ursinum) is a nice one. It's basically the European equivalent of the North American ramps. We planted some in our forest last year, dug up from my mom's giant feral patch. They seem really happy so far, and we dared harvest a few leaves in June. That made for a very tasty salad!
 
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Great topic!
I have Egyptian walking onions, and I'm hoping to establish elephant garlic.
I have two other oniony plants that I'm not sure of, lol
North Dakota winter onions are new to me, but they should amazing!

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Christopher Weeks
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William Bronson wrote:lol North Dakota winter onions are new to me, but they should amazing!


Looks like I imagined the “north” part. I think I bought the seeds here: https://www.prairieroadorganic.co/products/dakota-winter-onion-certified-organic-seed-1-packet-100-seeds
 
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Nodding onions (Allium cernuum) have beautiful flowers, are native to large portions of the US, are edible despite usually being planted as ornamentals, and have pretty decently sized bulbs for a wild onion. Might be a bit strongly flavored for some palates, though, they can be pretty potent!
 
William Bronson
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If you plant the root end of conventional onions, it will usually grow into 3 or small onion bulbs.
I separate these and replant.
If you take a rotting onion and plant it, it will usually produce greens and after a while, a nice globular flower bloom.
I usually let these go to seed, but I've never seen evidence of them self seeding.

An alium that reliably self seeds would be interesting.
Probably not more useful than the ones that top set bulbs, but interesting none the less.

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