Allium chinense G.Don

Bulbs clustered, narrowly ovoid, (0.5--)1--1.5(--2) cm in diam.; tunic white, sometimes tinged with red, membranous, entire. Leaves subequaling scape, 1--3 mm wide, 3--5-angled, fistulose. Scape lateral, 20--40 cm, terete, covered with leaf sheaths only at base. Spathe 2-valved, persistent. Umbel nearly hemispheric, laxly flowered. Pedicels subequal, 2--4 × as long as perianth, bracteolate. Perianth pale purple to dull purple; segments broadly elliptic to suborbicular, 4--6 × 3--4 mm; inner ones slightly longer than outer. Filaments equal, ca. 1.5 × as long as perianth segments, connate at base and adnate to perianth segments; outer ones subulate; inner ones broadened at base, 1-toothed on each side. Ovary obovoid-globose, with concave nectaries covered by hoodlike projections at base. Style exserted. Fl. and fr. Oct--Nov. 2 n = 24*, 32*.

It grows in light well drained soils. It can tolerate poor soils. They need full sun. It grows in the tropics and subtropics in China. Long days promote bulb and flower formation. In Yunnan.

The bulbs are eaten raw or cooked. They are pickled in salt, soy sauce and sugar. The leaves are eaten raw or cooked. The flowers and seed pods are used raw to flavour salads.

It can be grown from seed or by division of bulbs. Seed are rarely produced so bulbs are normally used. They are planted in late summer just below the soil surface. They are spaced at 20 cm apart.