The Onion family includes approximately 30 genera, which contain about 650 plant species. They are distributed throughout all continents except Australia. Many species are forest dwellers.
What are they, Onion?
The plant of the Onion family appears to be perennial, herbaceous and has a bisexual flower, which forms bulbs, roots with a specific aroma. This smell is due to the release of phytoncides - volatile oils that have the property of destroying pathogens and other parasites. In this regard, the Onion family is known for its wide use in medicine. The root system consists of thin threadlike and sometimes thickened roots.
How Onion Blooms
A flower of the onion family is brought to the surface with the help of an arrow, which often looks like a leafy stem.
This is due to the fact that the inner leaves envelop the arrow up to its upper part. The leaves of plants can have a different shape, unlike each other. Thus, they can be piped, 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 perianth (white, blue, pink). Perianths have six petals, which may be fused or free. In addition, the flower consists of six stamens, one petal and three carpels.
Inflorescences are capitate multi-flowered umbels. After the maturation process has passed, the formation of a fruit occurs - a box that is opened by nests. Each box may contain one or more seeds. The umbrella contains a large number of boxes, so a lot of seed is formed, and reproduction occurs mainly due to all the same seeds. They can be 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 with bulbs.
The flowering process itself requires rest, 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 houseplants such a condition is completely optional. Alliums do not start 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, however, for some representatives, slurrywill serve as the best top dressing.
It is possible to distinguish different plants based on appearance. Single bulbs will be round and juicy, while those that grow from a common rhizome will be elongated and narrow.
What Onions are used for
The Onion family has many representatives that are valuable and decorative. Humanity uses certain species directly for food, as well as spices, spices, and even as a medicine.
Both the leaves and bulbs contain vitamins and minerals. Few people know that experts have more than one thousand varieties of garden onions alone. Their taste can be spicy, sweet, semi-sweet.
The formula of the Onion family looks like this:♂♀ R₃₊₃ A₃₊₃ G₍₃₎. The fruit is a box that opens by nests.
Until recently, the onion and all its "relatives" were members of the Liliaceae family. However, science, which is constantly evolving, has found facts that allow plants to be separated into a separate class. One of the main signs is the smell. The species under consideration provide the population of all countries with medicinal and edible plants. The most important and indispensable representatives are the onion itself, leek, wild garlic and other well-known counterparts.
Recently, ornamental onions are often used as cut flowers. Dutch suppliers popularize such representatives of the class as the onion molly, giant, mountain-loving and others. Toour room conditions suit tropical, subtropical representatives, which are limited in our market.
