Alliaceae
Reduced Monocot Phylogeny of Required
Families
The Onion Family
13 genera
600 species
Umbel
Characteristic features:
- Bulb-forming herbs with basal, usually
narrow leaves.
- Flowers: Often showy, 6 tepals, 6 stamens,
3 connate carpels, ovary superior;
inflorescence umbellate;
- Fruit: a loculicidal capsule.
- Significant features: sulfur-containing
compounds (onion odor).
Distribution:
Widely distributed in temperate and tropical
regions; also present in semiarid regions.
Economic Uses:
- Allium is of great economic importance
and several species are widely cultivated.
- Onion, garlic, leek, shallots, and chives are
all produced by plants in this family.
- Species of several genera are also of
horticultural importance.
Prepared by: Mischa Olson
Year updated: Spring 2013
Common example(s):
- Allium cepa is the cultivated onion, and is
used to flavor food and as a vegetable. A.
schoenoprasum (chives) and A. tuberosum
(Chinese chives) are also used to flavor
food.
References for further inquiry:
- Pires, J.C. et al. Phylogeny, genome size,
and chromosomal evolution in
Asparagales. Pp. 287-304. In: Columbus,
J.T. et al. (eds), Monocots: Comparative
Biology and Evolution. Claremont,
California, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic
Garden (2006).
- Heywood, V.H., Brummitt, R.K., Culham, A.,
& Seberg, O. Alliaceae. Pp. 340-341. In:
Flowering Plant Families of the World. New
York, Firefly Books (2007).