Allium schoenoprasum
chives
Family AmaryllidaceaeAlso called wild chives
About
Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) are a clump-forming perennial herb grown for their mild onion-flavoured leaves and edible purple flowers. It is the only Allium native to both the Old and New Worlds.
Care at a glance
- Pet safety
- Toxic to dogs, cats and horses (n-propyl disulfide); can cause vomiting, breakdown of red blood cells, blood in urine, weakness and rapid breathing.
- People
- Not recorded.
- Light
- Full sun.
- Water
- Keep seedlings moist while germinating; established clumps need well-drained soil.
- Temperature
- Seed germinates best at 15–20 °C.
- Soil
- Well-drained soil rich in organic matter, pH 6–7.
- Propagation
- Sow seed, or divide established clumps.
- Mature size
- About 25 cm tall, in dense clumps.
Field notes
Morphology
A bulb-forming perennial about 25 cm tall with slender conical bulbs in dense clusters. Leaves and flower stalks are hollow and tubular. Pale purple, six-petalled star-shaped flowers 1–2 cm wide form dense heads of 10–30, wrapped in a papery bract before opening.
Distribution & habitat
Temperate Europe, Asia and North America across much of the Northern Hemisphere, including Russia from the Urals to Kamchatka, Korea and parts of Japan and China.
Ecology
Its sulphur compounds deter most insects, but the nectar-rich flowers attract bees; a UK survey ranked it among the top ten plants for nectar production.
Cultivation notes
Grown for cooking and ornament in well-drained, organic-rich soil at pH 6–7 in full sun. Sow seed at 15–20 °C and keep moist, or start under cover in cool climates and plant out after about four weeks; clumps divide easily.
History & etymology
Cultivated in Europe since the Middle Ages, with use dating back about 5000 years. Described by Linnaeus in 1753; the name joins Greek words for 'rush' and 'leek'.
Conservation
Assessed by the IUCN as Least Concern.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- Russia, South Korea, North Korea, Japan, China, Canada, United States
- IUCN status
- Least concern
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- easy
- Temperature
- Seed germinates best at 15–20 °C.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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