The onion genus Allium comprises monocotyledonous flowering plants and includes the onion, garlic, chives, scallion, shallot, and the leek as well as hundreds of wild species. The generic name Allium is the Latin word for garlic; Linnaeus used allium specifically. Some sources may refer to Greek αλεω by reason of the smell of garlic. The almost universal eating and cooking of parts of the plants owes to the large variety of flavours and textures of the species. After cultivation from time immemorial about a dozen species are economically important as crops, or garden vegetables, and an increasing number of species are important as ornamental plants.
Scientific name: Allium