Allium canadense
Canada onion
Family AmaryllidaceaeAlso called meadow garlic, wild garlic, wild onion
About
Allium canadense, the Canada onion or meadow garlic, is an edible wild onion of eastern North America, also grown as an ornamental and culinary herb.
Care at a glance
- Pet safety
- Allium species are toxic to cats and dogs; eating large amounts can cause hemolytic anemia, and cats are most sensitive. Horses can also develop hemolytic anemia from eating wild onion leaves. General guidance for the genus
- People
- Edible, but poisonings have occurred when toxic death camas bulbs were mistaken for wild onions, and eating the bulbs over long periods reduces iodine uptake by the thyroid.
- Light
- Full sun to light shade. General guidance for the genus
- Water
- Avoid overly damp ground; wet conditions invite bulb rot and other fungal problems. General guidance for the genus
- Soil
- Fertile, loose, well-drained soil; sand or loam both suit. General guidance for the genus
- Propagation
- Divide bulb offsets in spring; seed is slower and may take years to germinate. General guidance for the genus
“General guidance for the genus” marks advice sourced for the genus as a whole rather than this species.
Field notes
Morphology
An edible bulb wrapped in dense brown fibres produces narrow, grass-like basal leaves and a stem topped by a dome of star-shaped pink or white flowers, which may be partly or wholly replaced by bulblets. The whole plant smells and tastes strongly of onion.
Distribution & habitat
Eastern North America from Texas and Florida north to New Brunswick and west to Montana; reportedly naturalised in Cuba.
Ecology
Flowers in May and June; the bisexual flowers are pollinated by native bees and other insects.
Cultivation notes
Grown as an ornamental and garden herb, and as a home-garden vegetable in parts of Cuba. The whole plant can be eaten raw once tough outer layers are removed, or cooked like onion.
History & etymology
Gathered by Native Americans and European settlers; Cherokee and Chickasaw communities still pick and cook wild onions each spring. It was also rubbed on the skin against insect and other bites.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- United States, Canada
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- Not recorded
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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