Huang hua jiu, Umehi songgin
Allium condensatum

Family: Amaryllidaceae

What it is like

An onion family bulb plant. It grows to 60 cm high. The bulb is usually single but there can be 2. It is 1-2 cm across. The covering is red-brown. It is shiny and thinly leathery. The leaves are shorter than the scape. They are 1-2.5 mm wide. There is a channel along one side. The scape is 30-80 cm long and solid. It is covered with leaf sheaths only at the base. The flower head is round and dense 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 prefers a sunny position in a light well drained soil. It grows on slopes and meadows from sea level to 2000 m altitude in N China. It grows in Inner Mongolia.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, China, Korea, Mongolia, Russia, Siberia

How it is used for food

The bulbs are eaten raw or cooked. The leaves are eaten raw or cooked. The flowers are used raw to flavour salads.

Edible parts

Flowers, leaves, root, bulb

How it is grown

It can be grown from seed or division of the bulbs. Bulbs should be planted fairly deeply.

Its other names

Local names

No-rang-bu-chu

Synonyms

Allium jaluanum Nakai;