Citation: L. Sp. Pl. 294 (1753).

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: None

Description:
Leaves basal, but in many species the closed sheaths clasp the lower part of the stem; bulb sometimes surrounded by basal bulbils; there are also in some species sessile floral bulbils replacing some or all of the flowers in the head.

Capsule small, trigonous, with 1 or 2 black seeds in each cell.

Distribution:  About 450 species all native to the Northern Hemisphere; about 12 naturalised in Australia. (Clapman, Turin and Warburg (1962) Flora of the British Isles).

Biology: No text

Uses: Several are strongly onion-scented and are cultivated for the kitchen, such as:- the garlic (A. salivum L.), the leek (A. potrum L.) both with flat leaves; the onion (A. cepa L.), the shallot (A. ascalonicum L.), chives (A. schoenoprasum L.), all 3 with cylindrical hollow leaves.

Key to Species:

1. Stems triquetrous; perianth 12-18 mm long	A. triquetrum 6.
1. Stems cylindrical or flattish; perianth up to 10 mm long
2. Leaves cylindrical or nearly so, hollow inside
3. Filaments of the inner perianth-segments broad, 3-fid; bulb surrounded by many bulbils; flowers few in the umbel, often replaced by a dense head of bulbils	A. vineale 7.
3. Filaments all simple and linear; bulb simple; flowers many in a loose umbel	A. paniculatum 3.
2. Leaves flat, not hollow
4. Filaments all entire or the inner with 2 small teeth at the base
5. Perianth pink; bulbils usually present at the base of the pedicels	A. roseum 4.
5. Perianth white, bulbils not present at the base of the pedicels	A. neapolitanum 2.
4. Inner filaments divided at the apex into 3 long points, the middle one bearing the anther
6. Stamens shorter than the perianth and flowers purple, in a dense umbel or umbel containing numerous bulbils	A. scorodoprasum 5.
6. Stamens longer than the perianth; flowers pink, in a loose umbel; umbel without bulbils	A. ampeloprasum I.

Author: Not yet available