Taxon:  Allium cepa L.



Summary
Genus:
Allium
Subgenus:
Cepa
Section:
Cepa
Family:
Amaryllidaceae
Subfamily:
Allioideae
Tribe:
Allieae
Nomen number:
2244
Place of publication:
Sp. pl. 1:300.  1753
Verified:
07/09/1997 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
1761 (1017  active, 785  available) in National Plant Germplasm System.  (Map it)
Other conspecific taxa
Allium cepa L. var. aggregatum G. Don (2 active accession[s])
Allium cepa L. var. cepa (96 active accession[s])
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Allium cumaria Buch.-Ham., nom. inval.

Images (1 total. Click on image for more.)
Seeds

Conservation Status

Reference(s)
  1. PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
  2. Afonin, A. N., S. L. Greene, N. I. Dzyubenko, & A. N. Frolov, eds. Interactive agricultural ecological atlas of Russia and neighboring countries. Economic plants and their diseases, pests and weeds (on-line resource).
  3. Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
  4. APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
  5. Balick, M. J. et al. 2000. Checklist of the vascular plants of Belize, with common names and uses. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 85
  6. Boulos, L. 1999-. Flora of Egypt
  7. Brewster, J. L. 1994. Onions and other vegetable alliums. Crop Prod. Sci. Hort. 3:5.
  8. Cooper, M. R. & A. W. Johnson. 1998. Poisonous plants and fungi in Britain: animal and human poisoning Note: poisonous
  9. Davis, P. H., ed. 1965-1988. Flora of Turkey and the east Aegean islands.
  10. Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
  11. Encke, F. et al. 1984. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 13. Auflage
  12. Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
  13. Everest, S. L. 1981. Poisonous plants of Australia. Note: poisonous
  14. FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
  15. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2010. Ecocrop (on-line resource).
  16. Fritsch, R. M. & N. Friesen. 2002. Chapter 1. Evolution, domestication and taxonomy. In: Rabinowitch, H. D. & L. Currah, eds., Allium crop science: recent advances 5-30. Note: recognizes three crop groups: Common onion group, Ever-ready onions and Aggregatum group
  17. Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
  18. Hoang, H.-D. et al. 1997. Additional notes to the checklist of Korean cultivated plants (5). Consolidated summary and indexes. Genet. Resources Crop Evol. 44:353.
  19. Huo, Y.-M. et al. 2019. Complete chloroplast genome sequences of four Allium species: comparative and phylogenetic analyses. Sci. Rep. 9:12250. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-48708-x. www.nature.com/srep/
  20. Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares.
  21. Integrated Botanical Information System (IBIS). Australian plant common name database (on-line resource).
  22. International Seed Testing Association. 1982. A Multilingual Glossary of Common Plant-Names 1. Field crops, grasses and vegetables, ed. 2.
  23. Jørgensen, P. M. & S. León-Yánez, eds. 1999. Catalogue of the vascular plants of Ecuador. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 75
  24. Kala, C. P. et al. 2004. Prioritization of medicinal plants on the basis of available knowledge, existing practices and use value status in Uttaranchal, India. Biodivers. & Conservation 13:459.
  25. Kellerman, T. S. et al. 1988. Plant poisonings and mycotoxicoses of livestock in Southern Africa Note: poisonous
  26. Kingsbury, J. M. 1964. Poisonous plants of the United States and Canada. Note: poisonous
  27. Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1934-1964. Flora SSSR.
  28. Lampe, K. F. & M. A. McCann. 1985. AMA handbook of poisonous and injurious plants Note: poisonous
  29. Lazarides, M. & B. Hince. 1993. CSIRO Handbook of Economic Plants of Australia
  30. Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2
  31. Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada
  32. Mansfeld, R. 1959. Die Kulturpflanze, Beiheft 2.
  33. McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
  34. Messiaen, C.-M. et al. 1993. Les Allium alimentaires reproduits par voie végétative. In: , 1-230.
  35. Mun-Chan, B. et al. 1986. A checklist of the Korean cultivated plants. Kulturpflanze 34:75.
  36. Munro, D. B. Canadian poisonous plants information system (on-line resource).
  37. Nasir, E. & S. I. Ali, eds. 1970-. Flora of [West] Pakistan.
  38. Personal Care Products Council. International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient
  39. Peterka, H. et al. 1997. Interspecific hybrids between onion (Allium cepa L.) with S-cytoplasm and leek (Allium ampeloprasum L.). Theor. Appl. Genet. 94:383-389. Note: triploid hybrids from Allium cepa and A. ampeloprasum carried S-cytoplasm of onion conferring CMS
  40. Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
  41. Siemonsma, J. S. & Kasem Piluek, eds. 1993. Vegetables. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 8:64-71.
  42. Standley, P. C. & J. A. Steyermark. 1946-1976. Flora of Guatemala.
  43. Sulistiarini, D. et al. 1999. Medicinal and poisonous plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 12:98.
  44. Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
  45. Walker, E. 1976. Flora of Okinawa and the southern Ryukyu Islands.
  46. Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
  47. Yusupov. Z. et al. 2021. Phylogenomics of Allium section Cepa (Amaryllidaceae) provides new insights on domestication of onion. Pl. Diversity 43:102-110. DOI: 10.1016/j.pld.2020.07.008. Note: formerly Plant diversity and resources
Common names
LANGUAGE NAME ALTERNATE NAME NOTE SEQ CITATION
English bulb onion 1 Havey, M. J. 1991. Phylogenetic relationships among cultivated Allium species from restriction enzyme analysis of the chloroplast genome. Theor. Appl. Genet. 81:752-757. Note: this study included five USDA accessions (PI 172703, PI 207456, PI 227346, PI 260793, and PI 293756); it found evidence of close affinity between Allium cepa and A. fistulosum
English common onion 1 Fritsch, R. M. & N. Friesen. 2002. Chapter 1. Evolution, domestication and taxonomy. In: Rabinowitch, H. D. & L. Currah, eds., Allium crop science: recent advances 5-30. Note: recognizes three crop groups: Common onion group, Ever-ready onions and Aggregatum group
English onion 1 Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
English shallot 1 Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Arabic basal 2 Boulos, L. 1999-. Flora of Egypt
Italian cipolla 2 International Seed Testing Association. 1982. A Multilingual Glossary of Common Plant-Names 1. Field crops, grasses and vegetables, ed. 2.
Swedish lök 2 Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
Transcribed Korean ogba 2 Mun-Chan, B. et al. 1986. A checklist of the Korean cultivated plants. Kulturpflanze 34:75.
Transcribed Korean yangba 2 Mun-Chan, B. et al. 1986. A checklist of the Korean cultivated plants. Kulturpflanze 34:75.
Distribution
order_code Status Continent Subcontinent Country State Note
2 Cultivated Africa   Africa    
2 Cultivated Asia-Temperate Caucasus Armenia    
2 Cultivated Asia-Temperate Caucasus Azerbaijan    
2 Cultivated Asia-Temperate Caucasus Georgia    
2 Cultivated Asia-Temperate Caucasus Russian Federation-Ciscaucasia Ciscaucasia  
2 Cultivated Asia-Temperate China China    
2 Cultivated Asia-Temperate Eastern Asia Korea    
2 Cultivated Asia-Temperate Eastern Asia Taiwan    
2 Cultivated Asia-Temperate Middle Asia Kazakhstan    
2 Cultivated Asia-Temperate Middle Asia Kyrgyzstan    
2 Cultivated Asia-Temperate Middle Asia Tajikistan    
2 Cultivated Asia-Temperate Middle Asia Turkmenistan    
2 Cultivated Asia-Temperate Middle Asia Uzbekistan    
2 Cultivated Asia-Temperate Russian Far East Russian Federation-Far East Far East  
2 Cultivated Asia-Temperate Siberia Russian Federation-Eastern Siberia Eastern Siberia  
2 Cultivated Asia-Temperate Siberia Russian Federation-Western Siberia Western Siberia  
2 Cultivated Asia-Tropical Indian Subcontinent India    
2 Cultivated Asia-Tropical Indo-China Indochina    
2 Cultivated Asia-Tropical Malesia Philippines    
2 Cultivated Asia-Tropical Papuasia Papua New Guinea    
2 Cultivated Australasia Australia Australia    
2 Cultivated Europe   Europe    
2 Cultivated Northern America   Canada    
2 Cultivated Northern America   Mexico    
2 Cultivated Northern America   United States    
2 Cultivated Southern America Brazil Brazil    
2 Cultivated Southern America Caribbean West Indies    
2 Cultivated Southern America Central America Central America    
Cultivated
Africa
  • REGION: Africa
Asia-Temperate
  • CAUCASUS: Russian Federation-Ciscaucasia [Ciscaucasia], Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia
  • SIBERIA: Russian Federation-Western Siberia [Western Siberia], Russian Federation-Eastern Siberia [Eastern Siberia]
  • MIDDLE ASIA: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
  • RUSSIAN FAR EAST: Russian Federation-Far East [Far East]
  • CHINA: China
  • EASTERN ASIA: Korea, Taiwan
Asia-Tropical
  • INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: India
  • PAPUASIA: Papua New Guinea
  • INDO-CHINA: Indochina
  • MALESIA: Philippines
Australasia
  • AUSTRALIA: Australia
Europe
  • REGION: Europe
Northern America
  • REGION: Canada, Mexico, United States
Southern America
  • CARIBBEAN: West Indies
  • CENTRAL AMERICA: Central America
  • BRAZIL: Brazil
Economic Uses
Usage Type Note Reference
Medicines folklore   Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2
Medicines folklore   Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
Medicines folklore   Kala, C. P. et al. 2004. Prioritization of medicinal plants on the basis of available knowledge, existing practices and use value status in Uttaranchal, India. Biodivers. & Conservation 13:459.
Medicines folklore   McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Medicines folklore   Sulistiarini, D. et al. 1999. Medicinal and poisonous plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 12:98.
Vertebrate poisons mammals to livestock Kingsbury, J. M. 1964. Poisonous plants of the United States and Canada. Note: poisonous
Vertebrate poisons mammals to livestock Kellerman, T. S. et al. 1988. Plant poisonings and mycotoxicoses of livestock in Southern Africa Note: poisonous
Vertebrate poisons mammals to livestock Cooper, M. R. & A. W. Johnson. 1998. Poisonous plants and fungi in Britain: animal and human poisoning Note: poisonous
Vertebrate poisons mammals to livestock Lampe, K. F. & M. A. McCann. 1985. AMA handbook of poisonous and injurious plants Note: poisonous
Vertebrate poisons mammals to livestock Everest, S. L. 1981. Poisonous plants of Australia. Note: poisonous
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2024. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=2244. Accessed 25 April 2024.