Przewalski's onion, Ladakh onion
Allium przewalskianum

Family: Amaryllidaceae

What it is like

An onion family plant. It is a bulb plant. The bulbs are clustered. They are narrowly oval. They are 0.5-1 cm across. The covering is red. It has a netlike appearance. The leaves are shorter than the scape. They are 0.5-1.5 mm wide. They are almost square and 4-5 angled. The scape is 10-40 cm long. It is covered with leaf sheaths only at the base. The flower head is half round and 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 scrub and on dry slopes and rock crevices between 2000-4800 m altitude in N China. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, China, Himalayas, India, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Tibet

How it is used for food

The leaves are used instead of onion. They are eaten in vegetable curry.

Edible parts

Flowers, leaves, root, bulb

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Pharna, Qing gan jiu, Shisuan, Skotche, Zen bu

Synonyms

Allium jacquemontii Regel (1875) not Kunth.(1843); Allium junceum Jacquemont ex Baker(1874)not Smith (1809) Allium stoliczkii Regel;