What vegetable is Allium macrostemon, and what are the four major differences between it and Chinese onion (Allium chinense)?

Allium macrostemon, also known as tuan cong, is a wild vegetable that looks very much like Welsh onion. Because of its high edible and medicinal value, it is deeply loved by people, but since it is a wild vegetable, it is rarely seen in cities. So what vegetable is Allium macrostemon? What is the difference between it and Chinese onion?

1. What vegetable is Allium macrostemon?

1. Allium macrostemon is a plant of the order Liliales, family Liliaceae, genus Allium. Its appearance resembles Welsh onion, its grown bulb is spherical, and its outer skin is blackish, its grown roots are white and slender, its grown leaves are semi-cylindrical and hollow in the middle, and its grown flowers are umbel-like hemispherical or spherical, containing many dense pale purple or pale red flowers and dark purple bulbils. The flowers it produces extend outward in all directions and are very beautiful. It generally blooms and bears fruit from May to July.

2. Allium macrostemon is what people often call wild onion in daily life. It mostly grows on hillsides, in valleys, grasslands or on hills below an altitude of 1500 m. It is currently found in most areas of our country and is quite popular in rural areas. From May to July, many people pick it and take it home to stir-fry as a vegetable, eat it as a cold dish, or make it into pickles. Of course, some areas also cultivate and sell it specifically.

3. Allium macrostemon, also known as small-root garlic, has very high medicinal value. It has the effects of regulating qi, dispersing nodules and activating yang, and can effectively treat dysentery, cardiovascular diseases, lower blood lipids and other diseases. It is very suitable for elderly people suffering from cardiovascular disease and high blood lipids.

4. Allium macrostemon has strong vitality, and its flowers are very beautiful, so many people specially grow a pot of it to improve the indoor environment. Of course, some people also plant it specifically in desert areas to prevent wind and fix sand. At present, apart from Xinjiang, it is cultivated in other areas of our country.

2. What is the difference between Allium macrostemon and Chinese onion?

Difference 1, different family and genus: Allium macrostemon is a plant of the phylum Angiospermae, class Monocotyledoneae, order Liliales, family Liliaceae, genus Allium; Chinese onion is a perennial bulb plant of the phylum Tracheophyta, class Liliopsida, order Asparagales, family Amaryllidaceae, genus Allium.

Difference 2, different appearance: the bulb of Allium macrostemon is nearly round-spherical, with many small bulbs at the base, only the size of a little finger, the outer skin is slightly black and easy to fall off, the inside is white, and the whole looks somewhat flat; its grown stems and leaves are small, slender and tender, and the whole is light green; the bulb of Chinese onion is oval or narrowly oval, with many bulbs of roughly the same size clustered together, looking like garlic cloves, the outer skin is white or slightly red, and the whole looks somewhat longer; its grown stems and leaves are slender, and the whole is dark green, and it generally grows in large clumps.

Difference 3, different distribution range: Allium macrostemon has a wide distribution range and is found in most areas of our country; Chinese onion is mostly distributed in the Yangtze River basin or in the provinces to the south.

Difference 4, different ways of eating: Allium macrostemon can be stir-fried as a dish, can also be used instead of scallion to stir-fry with meat, and can also be made into pickles; Chinese onion is mostly used to make pickles, and of course can also be made into canned food, which tastes sweet and sour and delicious.

Overall, Allium macrostemon is a wild vegetable that looks very much like Welsh onion. It is cultivated in most areas of our country, and when there is no scallion, it can be used instead of scallion to stir-fry with meat. It is generally very suitable for elderly people to eat. In addition, although Allium macrostemon and Chinese onion look quite similar, the two differ somewhat in appearance and ways of eating, so when buying, pay as much attention as possible to avoid buying the wrong one.