Chao xian xie
Allium sacculiferum

Family: Amaryllidaceae

What it is like

An onion family plant. It is a bulb plant. The bulb can be single or in pairs. They are 0.7-1.5 cm across. The outer covering is dark brown. It is thinly leathery. There are 3-5 leaves which are linear and shorter than the scape. They are 3-4 mm wide. The scape is 30-60 cm high. It is covered with leaf sheaths for 1/2 its length. The flower head is round with many flowers.

There are about 300-700 Allium species. Most species of Allium are edible (Flora of China). All alliums are edible but they may not all be worth eating! They have also been put in the family Alliaceae.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It grows in meadows and beside rovers from 100-500 m altitude in N China.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, China, Japan, Korea, Russia

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Flowers, leaves, root, bulb

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Allium komarovianum Vvedensky; Allium pseudojaponicum Makino; Allium yuchianii Y.Z.Zhao & J.Y.Chao; and others