The genus of onions (Allium L.) belongs to the family Alliaceae J.K. Ayardh. About 400 of their species are known, of which 228 species are vegetable crops. They belong to both cultivated and wild-growing onions and garlic.
Of the bulbous crops, onions, shallots, leeks and garlic are of the greatest importance in the tropics and subtropics. Many onions are used raw, boiled, fried, pickled and dried as a seasoning, second courses, as well as in canning and other types of food industry. The bulb contains 16-20% dry matter, including sugar - 4-12%, nitrogenous substances - 2.3%, more than 10 mg / 100 g of vitamin C, a significant amount of various mineral salts and essential oils with bactericidal properties. In many countries, onions are of great nutritional value, as, for example, in the republics of Central Asia, where up to 20-25% of consumed vegetables are accounted for by them.
Various types of onions are medicinal plants. The proverb "Bow for seven ailments" has long been known. No wonder the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, who lived 2500 years ago, reported that one of the inscriptions on the great pyramid of Cheops contained information about how much onion and garlic were consumed by the workers
According to the morphological features of the structure of the bulb, cultivated onions can be divided into 3 groups:
1. Types of onions that form a turnip, round and flat onion. The main cultivated species are onions (Allium cepa L), garlic (Allium sativum L.), shallots (Allium ascolonicum L.) and multi-tiered onions (Allium proliferum L).
2. Types of onions with a cylindrical bulb. Leek (Allium porrum L.).
3. Perennial types of onions that do not form a bulb include batun (Allium fistulosum L.) and chives (Allium schoenoprasum L).
Onion - Allium cepa
Usage. Green leaves of onions and bulbs of sweet varieties are eaten mainly fresh, bulbs of spicy varieties - as a seasoning for various dishes. The export value of onions is great for a number of subtropical countries, primarily Egypt. At present, world onion production is 26.3 million tons (1989). At the same time, the main onion-producing countries (China - 3.8 million tons, the USSR - 2.50, India - 2.50 million tons) consume all grown products within their country.
Fig. 1. Bulb onion (lat.Allium sulfur L)
The total area occupied by onion crops is 1.9 million hectares with an average yield of 14.0 t / ha. The first place in the world in the export of onions is occupied by Egypt (500 thousand tons), which has very favorable conditions for year-round cultivation onions.
Spreading. The most widespread of all cultivated species is onion (Allium cepa L). Other species are cultivated on a smaller scale. Bulb onions have been grown everywhere since ancient times.
Description of the plant. The bulb is a dormant form of a modified plant. A strongly shortened stem is called the bottom. On it, depending on the type of onion, one or more primordia (growth points) develops, which are surrounded by fleshy scales. Scales - thickened base of leaves. From the buds, new bulbs or flower arrows are formed. Outside, the bulb is covered with dry scales, which serve to protect it from drying out. The leaves (feather) of onions are tubular, covered with a waxy coating, they thicken at the base, forming fleshy scales of the bulb. The inflorescence is a spherical simple umbrella. The fruit is a 3-celled, 3-sided box. Seeds of irregular 3-sided shape, wrinkled, with a hard shell, black (nigella). 1 g contains 260-400 seeds.
Biological features. Bulb onion is a perennial plant. It takes 2 years from sowing to seed formation. Getting seeds in the tropics is difficult due to the high temperature and short daily light period. For food purposes, it is cultivated as an annual plant, harvesting annually. Depending on the content of dry substances and essential oils, sweet, semi-sharp, spicy and bitter varieties are distinguished. Spicy and bitter onions contain 9-12% sugar, semi-sharp - 8-9, sweet - 4-8%. The latter taste sweeter because they contain less essential oils, which cause the bitter taste of onions. The ability of an onion to form one or more bulbs from one bulb is called nesting. Varieties with 1 bulb on the bottom are 1-celled, 2 - 2-celled. Sweet and semi-sharp onions - 1-celled, sharp - medium- and multi-nested, bitter - multi-nested.
Onions are a cold-resistant plant. The optimum temperature for seed germination is 20 ° C. Root growth is observed at 2-4 ° C. At 6-10 ° C, it goes faster, temperatures above 20 ° C slows down the growth of roots. The onion root system is located in the upper soil layer and has a small suction surface, which determines the increased moisture requirements of the onion during the growth of the assimilation apparatus and the bulb. In the second half of the growing season, the best ripening of the bulb occurs with a lack of moisture.
Special mention should be made of the relation of the bow to the light regime. By photoperiodic reaction, it belongs to long-day plants. Bulb formation is facilitated by conditions with a long light period during the day, which is typical for temperate and high latitudes. Under conditions of a short day (12-13 hours), the bulb does not form in most high-latitude varieties. Therefore, in the tropics, under short day conditions, it is possible to grow only special varieties that have a small critical day length and are capable of forming bulbs. These are mainly local varieties of folk selection or specially bred varieties and hybrids of the Bermuda - Granex - Grano group.
It is interesting to note that the Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, and Czechoslovakia have made great strides in the creation of new highly productive varieties for low latitudes in recent years. Many of these forms show good results not only in the tropics, but also under winter crops in temperate countries in Western Europe. In the USSR, by means of mass selection in populations, varieties were also bred for winter sowing in subtropical conditions (Peshpazak, Dusti, etc.).
Most tropical onions are sweet. Their major drawback is poor keeping quality during storage. This is due to the rapid completion of the post-harvest dormancy period, after which the bulbs begin to sprout, ache, etc. Therefore, an increase in keeping quality is one of the most important signs in breeding - it is no coincidence that many new varieties have the word “keeping quality” in their names one way or another: Keep Well, Hi-Keeper, Pukekohe Long Keeper, etc.
If in temperate latitudes the timing of growing onions is determined by temperature conditions, then in the tropics the distribution of precipitation throughout the year is the determining factor. For example, in North India, the main season for growing onions is "rabi" (October - March), when the rainfall is least. The harvest grown in the monsoon season - "kharif" (July - October), is much smaller, and even worse stored. In the south of India, where the monsoon character of the climate is even more pronounced, the main season for growing onions is "navarai" (coincides with "rabi" in the North).
The modern classification of the onion species classifies the following main varieties and local forms into 3 subspecies: southern, western and eastern, which, in turn, are divided into ecological groups and varieties. In the tropics, the species of shallots (Allium ascolonicum L) is widespread, which, unlike onions, reproduces vegetatively. The peculiarity of this type of onion is its multi-nesting, as well as a higher keeping quality during storage.
Soil requirements. Onions are very picky about soil fertility. It grows best on highly fertile sandy loams, light and medium loams, as well as on floodplain soils.
Leeks - Allium porrum
Usage. Plants contain about 3% proteins, up to 12% carbohydrates, a number of mineral salts and vitamins. An important property of leeks is that during winter storage in the bleached false stem, there is not a decrease, but a significant increase in the content of vitamin C. salads. In the canning industry, it is used as a raw material in the manufacture of canned vegetables and for drying; it can be successfully stored for 2-3 months in a green form in the refrigerator.
Fig. 2. Leek (Latin Allium porrum)
Origin. The center of origin is the Mediterranean (not found in the wild).
Ancient Roman poet Mark Valery Martial, who lived in the 1st-2nd centuries. n. e., wrote in his epigrams:
To whom the leek is pleasant, let him eat it:
All vegetables are healthier than those
What drives the pain away from the stomach!
Description of the plant. Leeks have a cylindrical bulb and ribbon-like leaves, the thickened sheaths of which form a false stem. In the first year of life, forms a powerful root system, a large number of flat long (40-60 cm) leaves fanned out (alternately), a white false bulb 10-12 cm long and 2-8 cm in diameter, turning into a light green false stem up to 80 cm high.In the second year, a flowering stem ( arrow) up to 2 meters high and seeds. The flowers of the leek are small, pink and whitish-pink, collected in an inflorescence - an umbrella, initially covered with a cover. Cross pollination. Seeds are 3-sided, wrinkled, outwardly reminiscent of onion seeds. They remain viable for 2-4 years. Leek is a cold-resistant culture. Adult plants, when hilling and warming them with peat or sawdust, winter in the middle zone, especially in snowy winters. Demanding on moisture, prefers loamy, high-humus floodplain soils. Heavy clay and light sandy soils, as well as waterlogged and acidic soils, are unsuitable for leeks. Propagated by seeds. In the central and northern regions, the seedling method is used. In the southern regions, a seedless culture (sowing seeds in open ground) is preferable. 2 varieties of leek are zoned - Karantansky and Sizokryl. Also used varieties and hybrids of the Dutch selection. The most dangerous pest is the onion fly.
Garlic - Allium sativum
Usage. Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is used fresh, as a spice for canning vegetables, in sausage production and as a seasoning for many dishes. Floral arrows are salted and pickled. The latter are especially popular in Asian countries. Garlic is rich in vitamin C (in the bulb 8-10 mg / 100 g, in the leaves - up to 40 mg / 100 g). Garlic oil contains many phytoncides, which have a strong bactericidal effect against many pathogenic microbes.
Fig. 3. Garlic (Allium sativum L.)
Garlic is widely used as a medicinal plant, especially in the treatment of putrefactive wounds, with vitamin deficiencies.
Origin. The plant has been cultivated by humans for over 3000 years.
Description of the plant. Garlic forms a complex bulb, consisting of a large number (5-50 pieces) of primordial cloves, which develop on the bottom in the leaf axils. Leaves are flat, linear, with elongated sheaths, forming a false stem.
Biological features. There are 4 known types of garlic: sterile (sterilis), fertile (fertilis), bulbous (bulbiferum) and common (vulgare). In the culture cultivate the shooting and non-shooting subspecies of garlic. Arrowhead garlic (A. s. Ssp. Bulbiferum) forms a central arrow with an inflorescence, on which, instead of seeds, airy bulbs (bulbillas) are formed. Oriental garlic, which forms a large onion, is especially appreciated in the tropics and subtropics.
Oriental garlic is a drought-resistant plant, but its few stringy, almost hairless roots are in clear contradiction with the plant's ability to withstand soil drought.
An explanation for this phenomenon should be sought in the history of the formation of this type of garlic. Its relatives are found in continental climate zones, on alluvial soils of mountain slopes and valleys. Garlic has developed the ability to end growth with the onset of drought due to the short period of favorable soil moisture. During dry periods, when the soil dries out to the parent rock, the stringy roots become useless and die off. The bulb is able to withstand severe soil drought and winter cold; with the onset of spring, it comes to life and forms new roots.
Vegetative propagation of garlic is carried out by chives or bulbillae. Seeds are formed only in fertile garlic in the geographical center of origin (Central Asia) in mountainous conditions with a short day.
The onion family unites about 30 genera and 650 species, distributed on all continents except Australia. Most of the species are concentrated in the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere (Irano-Turan, Mediterranean, Atlantic-North American, Madrean floristic areas). In the Circumboreal region, the number of species is small, but they play a significant role in the formation of the vegetation cover. One species, the onion (Allium schoenoprasum), enters the Arctic up to 75 ° N. sh. (New Earth). This is the northern border of the family's range. In the southern hemisphere (tropical and temperate regions of South America and Africa), there are mainly monotypic and oligotypic genera (about 14), uniting about 70 species, and to a lesser extent species of genera, the main range of which is in the northern hemisphere. The range of the family in the southern hemisphere reaches almost 50 ° S. sh. in Patagonia (patagonian tristagma - Tristagma patagonicum). Onion species are very diverse in their ecological confinement and are found almost everywhere from the highlands to the coast of the seas. Moreover, sometimes two closely related species have different ecology: one is dry-loving (mountain onion - Allium montanum), the other, very close to it, moisture-loving, growing on wet meadows rich in alluvial soil (angular onion - A. angulosum). Many types of onions in Eurasia are typical meadow plants (Siberian onion - A. sibiricum, fast onion, Mongolian onion - A. mongolicum, two-toothed onion - A. bidentatum, sweet onion - A. odorum, etc.). Among the onions are weeds of hay meadows, such as wild garlic, or the victorious onion (A. victorialis). Many onion species are forest dwellers. In humid shady forests on humus-rich soils, bear onions (A. ursinum) are found in huge quantities. Its characteristic smell spreads far around. It grows especially often in ravines in the community of ferns and finger sedge (Carex digitata). Strange onion (A. paradoxum) grows in the Hyrcanian forests of Azerbaijan and Iran. It has all the characteristics of the genus onion, but its large white flowers make it look more like the summer white flower (Leucojum aestivum) of the Amaryllis family. In the forests of the Mediterranean region of Europe (including the Crimea) and Asia Minor, the nectaroscordum dioscoridis grows. In the swamps in America, some species of the genus Brodiaea grow, in the subtropical zone, in damp places, species of the genus Triteleia, Nothoscordum, Milla. Among the onions, there are also inhabitants of saline soils (muilla maritime - Muilla maritima). Most of the onion species, and moreover the most peculiar representatives of the family, grow in the steppe and semi-desert areas of lowlands and mountains. There is the greatest variety of forms of bows - the largest kind of the family. In the highlands of the Himalayas, one of the morphologically most interesting representatives of the family is the monotypic genus Milula, in the semi-deserts of California and Arizona (USA) - another remarkable monotypic genus of the family - Hesperocallis, in the Andes - all genera of a peculiar tribe of Hilisia (Gilliesiae).
Onions are perennial herbs with bulbs, corms or sometimes rhizomes (Agapantheae tribe). The roots are usually thin, threadlike, but sometimes thickened. The thick, contractile roots of many onions serve to pull in the bulb to the desired depth. The inflorescence is carried to the surface of the ground with a flower arrow, which sometimes looks like a leafy stem, due to the fact that the leaves are equipped with sheaths, covering the arrow almost to the top. The bulbs are morphologically very diverse. They are both solitary and growing on a common rhizome. The former are usually rounded and fleshy, while the latter are narrow, elongated. Between these extreme types there are transitional forms, for example, in the species of the flail section (Cepa), to which the cultivated onion (A. cepa) belongs. Its bulbs are large, rounded, but attached several to a common rhizome, which can be observed in wild species close to onions. In the culture of onion, this feature is not expressed, since it is grown only for two years. Among the single bulbs, the most interesting is the prefabricated bulb, consisting of small, narrow bulbs, “chives”, for example, in the well-known garlic (A. sativum).
The bulbs are also very diverse in other ways. The outer shells, which protect the bulbs from adverse external influences, have a different consistency - thick, leathery or membranous, papery, fibrous, net. The latter are formed by sclerenchymal cells with strongly thickened walls. Ground onion leaves (basal), alternate, simple, tubular or more often flat, linear, oblong, elliptical, with rare exceptions (victorious onion, funkilya onion - A. funkiifolium, Fig. 48, 7-8, etc.), without petioles, with parallel or arcuate venation, mostly glabrous, but sometimes pubescent or coarsely ciliate along the edge. Tubular leaves have a cavity inside, resulting from the destruction of chlorophyll-free parenchyma. Flowers are collected in apical umbrellas, with the exception of the genus Milula, which has an inflorescence - an ear, and hesperokallis, which has a racemose inflorescence. Onion umbrellas are diverse both in the number of flowers in the inflorescence (from 1 to 500 and more), and in the length of the pedicels; bracts are often present at the base of the pedicels. Before flowering, the umbrella is shrouded in a blanket of 1 - 2-5 accrete leaves, differing in shape and size. The flowers are usually small, 3-10 mm., But there are up to 2.5 cm (for example, in species of the genus Brevoortia), even up to 4 cm (in hesperocalis, agapanthus - Agapanthus, tulbagia - Tulbaghia). They are bisexual, actinomorphic, rarely zygomorphic. The perianth consists of 6 free or fused petal-shaped segments at the base, located in two circles. The segments of the inner circle are sometimes less than the outer ones by almost half or are absent, and at the base of the segments, an advector of 3-12 leaf-shaped scales (tribe of Hilysia) is developed. Perianth segments are oblong, sometimes with a marigold, with well-pronounced 1-7 veins, in which chlorophyll is present. There are usually 6 stamens, in two circles. The stamens of the inner circle often differ from the stamens of the outer circle by the widened flattened filament and the presence of teeth; sometimes there are 3 fertile stamens, since the stamens of one of the circles are transformed into staminodes (brodie, trichlora - Trichlora, Erinna - Erinna, solarium - Solaria, etc.), sometimes strongly modified (levkocorina - Leucocoryne, brevurtia) or reduced ( ancrumia - Ancrumia). Pollen grains are single-grooved, with slightly granular, wrinkled or reticulate exine sculpture. Gynoecium syncarpous, of 3 carpels, with a simple filiform column that remains after flowering and ripening due to the fact that the canal of the column reaches the bottom of the ovary and only opens there; ovary superior, 3-celled, with 1 - 2 or many ovules in each nest. The fruit is a loculicidal capsule, triangular, appressed at the top. Seeds are spherical, angular or compressed, with a thick skin, black, smooth, about 3 mm in diameter. In some species (strange onion) seeds with appendages (eliosomes) from parenchymal cells filled with oil. The embryo is small, with abundant endosperm. A characteristic feature of the onion family is the presence in the scales of the bulbs and green leaves of lactic acid plants, usually segmented, filled with milky juice (latex). For representatives of the onion family, with the exception of the genus Notocordum and several species from the genera onion, tulbagia, levcorin, tristagmus, the presence of garlic and related volatile oils in all tissues of the plant is also characteristic. These oils contain dialyl disulfide C6H10S2 or dialyl trisulfide C6H10S3, which determine the specific onion or garlic taste and smell. Onions are cross-pollinated plants. Flower pollinators are usually insects (bees, flies, beetles, butterflies), but there are species with large bright flowers (Dichelostemma - Dichelostemma) pollinated by hummingbirds. Insects are attracted by the color of flowers, smell. In onion flowers, you can find the whole gamut of colors and their subtlest shades from pure white to maroon, almost black. Flowers are often clearly visible to insects due to the contrasting coloration of the perianth and pollen segments, the coloration of the pedicels (Allium paczoskianum), and the leaves of the bedspread (for example, brevurtia species). Most of the onion flowers have a pleasant smell to humans. A large amount of nectar is released throughout the flowering period. The nectars in most onions are septal, which are nectar slits that begin at the base of the carpels and rise to the middle of their height or to the upper third; nectar slits are lined with cells in the form of papillae that do not have cuticles and secrete nectar by diffusion. The nectar flows out through the holes located at the bottom, in the middle or at the top of the ovary, to the bottom of the flower and collects there, like in a saucer, between the ovary and the base of the 3 inner stamens. In species with open star-shaped flowers, nectar is available to many insects, and in species with flowers that are tubular at the base, only to long-proboscis. In species of some genera, along with septal nectaries, staminal nectaries are developed, for example, in species of nectarcordum, in which nectar-bearing tubercles are developed at the base of the stamens. And in species of hilicia, ligulate outgrowths at the base of the perianth segments function as nectaries. Cross-pollination is facilitated by protandria or, less often, protogyny (straight onion - A. strictum, ground onion - A. chamaemoly, Fig. 49, 8-9).
The opening of the anthers in protandric species (for example, onions) begins with the stamens of the inner circle, the filaments of which quickly stretch out, exposing the anthers outward. As soon as the anthers have opened with two longitudinal slits from the apex downward, the stamens bend outward and the intrinsic anthers completely retain the pollen for the insect. After being freed from pollen, the stamens wilt and hang outward. With the opening of the anthers of the inner circle, the growth of the stamens of the outer circle begins. And after the latter have opened, the column begins to grow rapidly. And only after all the stamens have wilted, the stigma is ready to receive pollen (as indicated by the appearance of papillae on its surface) and functions for several days. It is interesting that the development of the lowest flowers of the inflorescence is greatly delayed; the filaments of the stamens remain straight and the pollen remains in the anthers until the stigma reaches maturity. This can be considered as a mechanism for self-pollination in a certain number of flowers. Self-pollination in onions occurs along with cross-pollination quite often. This is favored by the lack of self-incompatibility in flowers. In addition, the mechanisms that protect against self-pollination are not very effective, since onions in the inflorescence usually have many flowers, which are also in different stages of flowering, and self-pollination is produced by insects that fly in for nectar and crawl in the inflorescence from one flower to another. ...
In the inflorescence of onions, bulbs are often formed at the base of the pedicels. These bulbs are round, green or brown, devoid of leathery membranes and thus significantly different from the underground, which are also normally formed in such plants. In species that form bulbs in an inflorescence, different degrees of suppression of sexual reproduction are observed. Embryological and cytological studies of these species have established that even in cases where seed reproduction proceeds normally by external signs, along with the usual course of seed formation processes, a number of anomalies are noted (early degeneration of maternal pollen cells, etc.). In several species that form a large number of bulbs in the inflorescence, first of all, let us name the most widely known and well-studied garlic, there are such profound disturbances in the processes of sexual reproduction that seed formation almost does not take place. In general, a correlation was noted between vegetative and seed reproduction: the more fertile pollen, the less the production of bulbs in the inflorescence. Vegetative reproduction is especially developed in polyploids. Bulbs and rhizomes play an important role in vegetative propagation in onions. Regardless of the formation of seeds on the bulbs, new daughter bulbs develop from the vegetative buds located on the bottom. In addition, many species, for example, the widespread round onion (A. rotundum), grape onion (A. ampeloprasum), form on the bulbs very small, pea-sized, the so-called baby onions, which also serve for vegetative propagation. Sometimes onion babies are formed not on the bulbs, but on the tops of the leaves (magic onion - A. magicum).
Most onions produce a large number of seeds, and young plants reproduce exclusively by seed. Seeds in nature are spread by the wind, less often by animals, including ants. There are a lot of seeds due to the large number of capsules in the umbrella. Each chamber contains a capsule of one, several or many seeds, which often remain there for a long time after ripening, although the capsule opens wide enough to release them. Sometimes the capsules are eaten by sheep and other animals, and the seeds are spread with excrement, since they are not damaged while passing through the digestive tract. Dry plants from previous years, with viable seeds still enclosed in capsules, are often found in nature. Gradually, they are carried by the wind like a tumbleweed. Some species of agapanthus and species of brodieya have seeds with a filmy pterygoid margin, which facilitates their spread by the wind. Sometimes the seeds are supplied with eliosomes (strange onions, bear onions), thanks to which they are taken away by ants. Bulbs also spread over considerable distances by wind, rain, when stones fall on them from cliffs, earth falls, rocks are destroyed, and so on. Their spread by the wind is facilitated by the outer dry, very light fibrous or reticular shell. Bulbs of species growing in the littoral zone, for example, variable onion, grape onion, are carried by sea water. At the same time, the bulbous shells provide buoyancy and protection from getting wet.
According to the modern views of taxonomists on the onion family, 6 tribes are distinguished in it: Agapantheae, Allieae, Hesperocallideae, Gilliesieae, Millieae and Brodiaeae.
The tribe of agapanths unites 2 African genera - Agapanthus and Tulbaghia. Distinctive morphological features of this tribe are a funnel-shaped or cylindrical perianth of segments fused at the base, the stigma is integral, the stamens are fused with the perianth tube, in each of the 3 nests of the ovary there are numerous ovules, a well-developed short rhizome covered with narrow leaf bases. The genus agapanthus (about 8 species) is entirely South African (Transvaal, Natal, Orange province, Cape region). These are beautiful plants with blue or white funnel-shaped, slightly zygomorphic flowers - 20-30, sometimes up to 100 in oriental agapanthus (A. orientalis) in an umbrella inflorescence with an easily falling blanket of two narrow upper leaves. In the bud, there is a bedspread with an open oblique spout, not completely fused, unlike other onions. A distinctive feature of the genus is short anthers on long filaments. At the base of the peduncle there are long, belt-like leaves, and there are deciduous species with annually dying leaves and evergreen. The genus Tulbagia (about 30 species) is widespread in southern and tropical Africa. Like agapanthus, these are large beautiful plants, but they differ in a pitcher-shaped or cylindrical perianth with three fleshy appendages at the inner segments of the perianth, long anthers.
The onion tribe (Allieae) is the largest and most diverse in the family - 8 genera and about 550 species with a free or accrete perianth, open stellate or bell-shaped, very rarely with appendages at the inner perianth segments, 6 stamens, free or accrete with each other and with perianth segments, with a cover of 1-4 accrete lobes, with a well-defined bulb. The genus onion (Allium) occupies a central position in the tribe of onions, about 500 species of which are richly represented almost throughout the entire range of the family: in Asia (several centers of species diversity), Europe (the main center of distribution is the Mediterranean), North America, Africa (several and species close to Eurasian). The genus includes 6 subgenera, 30 sections, most of which consist of several kinship groups. Onions have an actinomorphic perianth of 6 usually free segments with one vein, without appendages, 6 fertile stamens, also free or fused with each other and with the perianth; the ovary is superior; inflorescence - mostly spherical or hemispherical umbel, shrouded before flowering in a veil that has grown together from 2-4 lobes; the bulbs are always developed and very diverse in the nature of growth (single or on rhizomes), the ability to divide and form baby bulbs, in size and shape, color, consistency, venation or retting of the bulbous membrane. The leaves of onions are very diverse: petioled or petiolate, fistulous, filiform, flat (linear, oblong, oval in shape), single or numerous. Common generic characters in various groups are also expressed very differently, due to which the representatives of these groups differ sharply in appearance. Closest to onions is the genus Nectaroscordum, numbering 6 species, similar to large onions, but differing in disc-shaped flowers with a short tube and perianth segments with 3-7, rather than one vein, a veil of one lobe. The range of the genus is the Mediterranean (including the Crimea), Asia Minor, Iran, Transcaucasia. Another genus close to onions, Notocordum, is widespread in America (1 species in North, 15-16 species in South) and East Asia (2 species). Perianth segments of notocordum fused to the middle, with one vein; 6 stamens adherent to the base of the perianth segments; elongated anthers; ovary 3-celled, with 6-12 ovules in each nest; capsule leathery, 3-lobed. American and East Asian species of notocordum represent different kinship groups: the former have a cover of two leaves, the latter of one. The genus Notocordum in the onion family is one of the few exceptions that does not have an onion scent.
The tribe of onions includes the most peculiar genus of the family - milula with one species - milula spicata (Fig. 50, 5, 6), living in the Eastern Himalayas. Unlike other onions, this plant has a cylindrical spike-shaped inflorescence with a cover of one sharp leaf. However, other characters of milula are quite consistent with the position of this genus in the tribe of onions: a large bulb, linear leaves up to one third of the peduncle, up to half of the accrete perianth, 6 stamens, 3 of them whole, 3 with lateral teeth. The whole plant has a characteristic onion scent. The rest of the monotypic and oligotypic genera of this tribe are found in limited areas in North and South America. These are Caloscordum, Garaventia, Levkocorina, Tristagmus.
The tribe of hesperocalis is monotypic. The only representative of this tribe, Hesperocallis undulata (Fig. 50, 1), is widespread in California and Arizona, where it lives in dry sandy and rocky places. It is the only species in the onion family with a long (10-30 cm) racemose inflorescence. At the base of the inflorescence there are large leaves of the envelope. The flowers are funnel-shaped, up to 3-4 cm long, with 6 stamens hidden in the perianth tube. The bulb is ovoid, covered with a shell. The plant has a characteristic onion scent.
The tribe of Gilliesiaceae is the most isolated in the onion family, sometimes isolated into an independent family of Gilliesiaceae. It includes 9 monotypic and oligotypic genera found exclusively in the Andes. They stand out among onion flowers with zygomorphic flowers with 3-6 stamens, with scales at the base of the perianth segments, resembling the crown of amaryllis. The flowers are zygomorphic due to unequal stamens that have grown together into a pitcher-shaped obliquely cut formation (hilisia, trichlor, solarium, etc.). In addition, 3 stamens on one side (lower) are fertile, on the other (upper) sterile. The most orchid type are flowers of Hilicia cereal (G. graminea, Fig. 50, 7, 8). The zygomorphism of flowers is also due to unequal segments of the inner circle. This is especially pronounced in the solarium, in which one of the segments of the inner circle is almost undeveloped. The umbrella-shaped inflorescence of Hilisiae usually consists of several flowers on long pedicels, the upper leaves of the veil are very unequal, in number 2 or 1.
The tribe milliaceae includes 4-6 monotypic and oligotypic genera, concentrated in the south of North America (California, Mexico, Guatemala). The largest genus is Milla (6 species). These are small plants with small bulbs, a small-flowered umbrella and a bedspread of 2-3 narrow leaves. The flowers of the species of this tribe have an actinomorphic cylindrical perianth, the perianth segments are fused at the base, as a result of which there is a tendency to the formation of a lower ovary.
The Brodian tribe includes 6-7 genera with an actinomorphic perianth, the segments of which have grown up to half into a tube, pedicels, which, as a rule, have an articulation in the upper part. Most of the flowers are brightly colored, broadly bell-shaped. Bedspread leaves are also brightly colored. All genera of this tribe are distributed in North and South America.
Among the species of the onion family, there are many useful plants - food, medicinal, ornamental. These are primarily cultivated and wild species of the genus onion. The most widely known and widespread onion (Allium cepa). Its supposed homeland is Central Asia, where the closest wild species grow to it: Oshanin's onion (A. oschaninii), Vavilov's onion (A. vavilovii), mixed onion (A. praemixtum), Pskem onion (A. pskemense). Ascalonian onion, or shallots (A. ascalonicum), is considered a cultivated variety of onions. The second most important after onion is garlic (A. sativum), also originating from Central Asia. Leek (A. porrum) is quite widespread in culture. His homeland is the Mediterranean, where he is most cultivated. Batun onion, or Tatar (A. fistulosum), multi-tiered onion (A. fistulosum var.viviparum), sweet onion (A. odorum) are the most popular as cultivated plants in East Asia, especially in China, where they grow in large numbers and in wild condition. Chives (A. schoenoprasum) are grown mainly in Europe. In the wild, it is widely distributed in Eurasia and North America. The closest to the cultivated forms of chives are wild populations found in the Alps. In addition, many wild onion species are used by the population for food: wild garlic, scythe onion (A. obliquum), Altai onion (A. altaicum, Fig. 48, 1-2), Pskem onion, Vavilov onion, milky onion (A. galanthum ). Several types of onions are of nutritional importance. These are Central Asian species - Mongolian onion, multi-root onion (A. polyrhizum, Fig. 48, 3-4), two-toothed onion, sweet onion, which form the basis of the so-called onion steppes - beautiful pastures. From the green mass of Mongolian and multi-root onions, local cattle breeders make very nutritious salted briquettes for winter feeding of livestock.
Cultural bows are not systematically close and belong to different subgenera. Onions, Tartar, chives, sweet onions belong to the subgenus of rhizomatous onions (Rhizirideum); garlic and leeks from the subgenus of true onions (Allium). In culture, they are usually classified into annuals (garlic), biennials (onions, leeks) and perennials (Tatar, multi-tiered onions, chives, sweet onions). The former are grown for 1 - 2 years, mainly for bulbs, although young foliage is also eaten; the latter are cultivated mainly for the sake of green leaves, which begin to grow very early and then grow during the entire growing season.
Bows as cultivated plants have been associated with man since ancient times. There is no doubt that already primitive man, looking for various plants with a spicy taste, paid special attention to wild onions, and then deliberately bred them around his camps. The first images of onion plants date back to 3200-2700. BC e. The beginning of the onion culture dates back to 4000 BC. e. Bows are mentioned in the cuneiform script of the ancient Sumerians, Egyptian papyri. Later numerous literary documents and works of ancient art are replete with information about the popularity of onions in Ancient Egypt, Greece, the Roman Empire, in the countries of the Middle East, where it was revered not only as a food and medicinal plant, but also as absolutely necessary for religious rituals, mummification, burial sites, for magical actions. Among the inscriptions in temples, on statues, on the lids of coffins, there are formulas with the mention of onions and garlic for performing rituals of worship, burial, and taking oaths.
The ancient Egyptians considered onions and garlic to be divine plants, for which they were later ridiculed by Juvenal in his "Satyrs". Onions and garlic were brought to the altars to the gods along with bread, meat, other vegetables and fruits. On the Great Pyramid at Giza, among the inscriptions still preserved in some places, mostly of a religious content, there are the names of onions and garlic as vegetables necessary for the nutrition of kings in the afterlife. Preserved images of onions in the form of a large peeled onion and tender greens on the tables of the feasts of the kings, where it is adjacent to meat, game, wine, bread, figs, grapes. In written documents 260-80. BC e., for example, in the archive of Zeno, who manages the estate of one of the courtiers of Tsar Ptolemy II, already contains recommendations for growing onions, information about its various varieties. Onions and garlic were equally revered by the ancient Greeks. Onions, especially large onions, were brought as a gift to the pythias during feasts in honor of the gods at Delphi in the temple of Apollo. The bow was presented to newlyweds (according to legend, the goddess Latona, before the birth of the twins Apollo and Artemis, improved health thanks to the bow). It is known that the Athenian commander Iphicrates received a barrel of onion as one of his wedding gifts. The Roman commander Xenophon introduced the onion into the daily diet of his soldiers, since the onion was credited with the ability to restore strength and energy from soldiers. The Romans especially appreciated the bow as a means supposedly driving away the souls of the dead - demons and lemurs, whom they were especially afraid of. Along with this, areas are known, for example Pelusium, where there was a directly opposite attitude towards onions. According to Plutarch, they considered onions even dangerous to humans, like a plant whose unpleasant smell attracts evil spirits. In India, where onions have been grown since ancient times and where their beneficial effects on the body were well known, they were not eaten at all because of their bad smell, but were used only as a medicine. The popularity of onions as a valuable food and medicinal plant has grown steadily. In the Middle Ages, onion culture spread in Europe, first in France, Spain, Portugal, later in Russia, Germany, England. And very soon, among the peoples of these countries, onions became an indispensable seasoning for a wide variety of dishes, and among the poor strata of the population they made up their daily food.
The onion culture reached its greatest development in the X-XII centuries. in Spain. Here, the famous varieties of Spanish onions were created, surpassing all known varieties in sweetness and size. Onion varieties were also created in other countries and were initially known by the names of the geographical places where they originated: in Russia - Bessonovsky (the village of Bessonovka of the Penza region), Vishensky (the village of Vishenki, Gorkovskaya region), Myachkovsky (the village of Myachkovo, Moscow region); in Western Europe - Erfurt, Nuremberg, Strassbourg, etc. Now onions are the most widespread of onions in culture. It is cultivated almost everywhere there is an agricultural culture, even in the Arctic Circle. More than 80 varieties of it are known in the USSR alone.
The beginning of the garlic culture dates back to about 2000 BC. e. It is to garlic that the genus owes its name to Allium - this is how the ancient Romans called garlic. Garlic is almost as widely used as onions. In culture, about 30 of its varieties are known.
Onions were originally used as an appetite-stimulating herb. The meaning of bows for modern man is even wider and more diverse. Onions and garlic are used boiled, fried (spicy and semi-sharp varieties) and cheese (sweet or salad varieties). Garlic, in addition, is indispensable for salting and pickling vegetables, in sausage production. The average consumption rate of onion per person per year in different regions varies considerably, but usually it is not less than 6 kg (northern regions), in Central Asia and the Caucasus it is 14-17 kg. The value of onions as vitamin-bearing plants has also been recognized by humans for a very long time (as antiscorbutic). It is now well known that all edible onions, especially their green part, are distinguished by a high content of vitamin C: in bulbs - from 12 to 30 mg per 100 g of fresh mass, in leaves - from 25 to 90 mg (a person's daily need for vitamin C is about 60 mg). Green onions also contain carotenes, vitamins B1, B2 and PP, but in small quantities. Onion scales contain vitamin R. Onions have been widely known since ancient times as medicinal plants. There is evidence of this in the writings of Dioscorides and Avicenna. The best known are their bactericidal properties, which have long been used in folk medicine. Modern medicine uses drugs (there are about 10) from various types of onions. The most common of these are allylchep and allylglycer. Their main purpose is the treatment of infectious diseases, in addition, they enhance motor and secretory activity. Mannitol, a product intended for the nutrition of diabetics, was isolated from onions in 1957. Other members of the onion family are also used for food, in folk medicine (tulbagia, agapanthus, notocordum, etc.), but they have only local significance.
There are a lot of flowering plants among onions, but their use in ornamental gardening limits the onion or garlic smell. Nevertheless, a number of species are widely used in gardens, parks, greenhouses and indoor floriculture. Agapanthus and tulbagia are very popular as garden plants, especially in their homeland in Africa, where almost all species are grown, primarily oriental agapanthus. In Europe, the most widespread umbellate agapanthus (Agapanthus umbellatus). Tulbagias are very beautiful. Among them, the most widespread tulbagia fragrant (T. fragrans) is the only species among tulbagia without a garlic smell. Used as decorative many types of bows, notocordum, brodia and other onion genera.
Plant life: in 6 volumes. - M .: Education. Edited by A. L. Takhtadzhyan, Editor-in-Chief Corresponding Member USSR Academy of Sciences, prof. A.A. Fedorov... - fragrant (Tulbaghia simml ... Wikipedia
Below is a list of vascular plants listed in the Red Book of the Republic of Mordovia In square brackets after the name of each plant there is a numerical code indicating the category of rarity: 0 probably disappeared in the territory ... ... Wikipedia
BEAR ONION, OR CHERRYSON (ALLIUM URSINUM L.)- see Bulb without covering scales, elongated, about 1 cm thick, up to 40 cm high, in the lower part with two, sometimes three large broadly elliptical pointed leaves, gradually tapering into a petiole. Leaf blade 8 cm wide. ... ... Forest herbaceous plants
VICTORIAL ONION, SCERAMS (ALLIUM VICTORIALIS L.)- see. One or more bulbs sit on an oblique rhizome, they are cylindrically conical, 1-1.5 cm thick with brown or grayish-brown reticular membranes. The stem is 30–70 cm high on / 3/4 covered with smooth, often violet-colored sheaths ... ... Forest herbaceous plants
STRANGE ONION (ALLIUM PARADOXUM (BLEB.) DON FIL.)- see Bulb spherical, about 1 cm thick. Black, paper-like scales. The stem is acutely triangular, 20-30 cm high. The leaf is single, linear, 0.5 to 2.5 cm wide, keeled, gradually narrowed from the middle to the base, pointed. Leaf ... ... Forest herbaceous plants
Today, onions have become so firmly incorporated into all our usual dishes that we no longer even think about its features and useful properties. And even more so, few people know where the real homeland of onions is. Today we have to find out and look at this vegetable crop a little differently.
The first mentions of bow: Egypt and Rome
No one knows for certain exactly where the bow first appeared. But the history of the appearance of onions takes its roots in South Asia. He migrated to Persia, Egypt, then to the Greek and Roman empires and later appeared in Central Europe.
The fact that onion is an ancient vegetable is evidenced by the records of the ancient Sumerians who lived on Earth for more than three thousand years BC in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan. Also, similar records can be found in the Egyptian chronicles. All parts of the bow have always been the decoration of the festive table of the Egyptian pharaohs and they were used to decorate the sacrificial altar, and also used in mummification.
You can find references to the use of this ancient vegetable in many sources of art and literature. For example, Egyptian slaves were required to eat onions so that they would not get sick during the endless construction of the pyramids.
All this suggests that the homeland of the onion belongs precisely to this part of the Earth.
The ancient Roman commander Xenophon also obliged his legionnaires to eat onions regularly. He believed that he gives the fighters strength, restores their energy and makes them fearless in front of the enemy.
Historical facts: China and Japan
It was grown in ancient China and Japan.There is also a mention of it in the historical book about medicinal herbs. It dates back to 2600 BC. The renowned physician Li Shizhen described the beneficial properties and uses of more than 1,500 plants that were used as a treatment, among them the mention of onion bunches.
The well-known doctor, philosopher and poet of Central Asia Avicenna (980-1037) described in his works onions as a remedy for wounds and diseases. He gave his recommendations for getting rid of some ailments.
Thus, it is difficult to unequivocally answer where the onion comes from, but it is known for certain that it is South Asia.
Ancient India was no exception; onion cultivation was also widespread here. He got to India thanks to the army when settling in Hindustan. The Indians were very sensitive to this vegetable crop, as they knew how useful it is for health. This is evidenced by the mention of her in the medical treatise "Charvaka-Samshita". But unlike others, the Indians did not use onions in cooking, as they were intimidated by the smell. But it was valuable as a medicine.
When did the bow appear in our country?
XII-XIII centuries Kievan Rus began active trade with the countries of Byzantium and Europe, trade and economic relations between the countries were strengthened. It was then that various varieties of onions were first imported into our country. And since this happened almost at the same time from different parts of the world, it was difficult to assess at that time which country is the birthplace of onions.
Experts are of the opinion that he came from the banks of the Danube. And since the 18th century, the correspondence of Archbishop Samuel has been preserved about Rostov the Great, that the inhabitants of this city get rid of all their troubles with onions and garlic and never require any medicine.
The appearance of onions in European countries
Until the 18th century, residents of European countries did not know about the existence of this garden plant. The history of the appearance of onions begins in Europe only in the Middle Ages.
In the Middle Ages, it was believed that the head of onion or garlic can protect against diseases, evil spirits, if worn as a talisman. The legendary king Richard the Lionheart had such an amulet. He believed that it brought him good luck in battles. Healers and wizards not only used the bow in treatment, but also used it in magical rituals.
In all states, its cultivation began to wear production volumes. It was in Spain that the bow reached its apogee in development. The Spaniards created special varieties of varieties that are still famous for their yield and taste.
The period from the 18th to the 20th century was the heyday of the onion culture. This became the history of agro-industrial production and breeding of new varieties. Experts began to study in more detail the biological and chemical properties of onions. But despite this, discoveries of new varieties of onions are still continuing in different parts of the world.
The homeland of onions and their properties
If the homeland of the vegetable is more or less clear, then let's figure out what its nutritional value is and what is its chemical composition.
The most important nutritional value of onions is its high carbohydrate content (4-16%) and nitrogen oxide compounds (1-4%). It contains amino acids, vitamins of group C, B, PP and minerals (1% ash containing potassium, calcium, phosphorus, sodium and other elements). This is what the bow can boast of.
Green leaves contain important acids for metabolic processes in our body. And the taste and smell we are used to is due to the content of esters, the number of which ranges from 5 to 65 mg, depending on the growing conditions, degree of maturity and other factors.
Are the onions a brother of onions?
Onion-batun, or, as it is otherwise called, "Tatar", refers to the homeland of this type of onion also in Asia. It is unpretentious, frost-resistant and therefore is widely used all over the world.
Due to its effective (nutritionally) physicochemical properties and accessibility to everyone, it can be used everywhere against various diseases. In traditional medicine, there are many recipes for its use for the benefit of health.
It is generally known that batun lowers blood pressure and also improves vascular health. Among other things, the batun perfectly tones up and is an antiseptic.
When the body lacks vitamins, this vegetable crop is able to compensate for the average daily intake of vitamin C; it is enough to eat only 150 grams of onions per day. In addition, batun is able to improve metabolism in case of gout, various liver and kidney diseases. Frequent use of onions in your diet has a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin and mucous membranes.
In the description of a batun onion, it is easy to notice a clear similarity with onions. Green bunches of leaves extend from the head of the onion. Onions have a rounded head, while a batun has a small and almost flat head.
The Onion family comprises approximately 30 genera, which contain approximately 650 plant species. They are common in all continents, with the exception of Australia. Many species are forest dwellers.
How onions bloom
The flower of the onion family is brought to the surface using an arrow, which quite often looks like a leafy stem.
This is because the inner leaves envelop the arrow all the way to its top. The leaves of plants can have different, dissimilar shapes. Thus, they can be fistulous, oval, linear, lanceolate. Certain species have cuttings on which leaves are located, in some they are absent. The flowers of the family are unisexual, have corollas with a perianth (white, blue, pink). Perianths have six petals, which can be fused or loose. In addition, the flower consists of six stamens, one petal and three carpels.
Inflorescences are capitate multi-flowered umbrellas. After the ripening process has passed, the formation of a fruit occurs - a capsule, which is opened in the nests. Each boll can have one or more seeds. The umbrella contains a large number of capsules, so a lot of seed is formed, and reproduction occurs mainly due to all the same seeds. They are capable of being carried by the wind or by being eaten by animals.
Method number two
The Onion family, any of its representatives, has the ability to reproduce directly by bulbs.
For the flowering process itself, rest is required, which is regulated by constant watering. Representatives of the class that grow in temperate latitudes require a decrease in temperature for the flowering process, but for our indoor plants this condition is completely unnecessary. Onions do not begin flowering until a certain height is reached. If there is a need for rapid flowering, then the plant should be carefully fed. Fertilizers containing minerals are best suited, but for some representatives, slurry will serve as the best fertilizing.
It is possible to distinguish between different plants based on their appearance. Single bulbs will be round and juicy, and those that grow from a common rhizome will be elongated and narrow.
What are onions used for
The Onion family has many representatives that are valuable and decorative. Humanity uses certain species directly for food, as well as as spices, spices, and even as a medicine.
Both the leaves and the bulbs contain vitamins and minerals. Few people know that experts count more than one thousand varieties of garden onions alone. Their taste can be spicy, sweet, semi-sweet.
The formula for the Onion family looks like this: * ♂♀ Р₃₊₃ А₃₊₃ G₍₃₎. The fruit is a capsule that opens at the nests.
Until recently, the onion and all its "relatives" were components. However, science, which is constantly developing, has found facts that made it possible to single out plants in a separate class. One of the main signs is smell. The considered species provide the population of all countries with medicinal and edible plants. The most important and irreplaceable representatives are the onion ramson itself and other well-known brethren.
Recently, they are often used as cut flowers. Dutch suppliers popularize such representatives of the class as molly, giant, mountain-loving and others. Tropical, subtropical representatives, of which there are a limited number on our market, are suitable for our room conditions.