List of onion cultivars explained

There are dozens of cultivars of the onion (Allium cepa), one of the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium, But there are also other species cultivated as 'onions'. Many are named after the first person to breed them, or the locality they came from. Different localities often use their own common names for cultivars that are genetically almost identical. Sometimes different cultivars are known by the same common name (for example the name 'Chinese chives' could be referring to Allium odorum or Allium tuberosum).This list is based on the USDAs accepted classification.^[1]

Cultivar names

Common name	Scientific name	Image	Notes
Abrams' onion	Allium abramsii (Ownbey & Aase) McNeal
Allegheny onion	Allium allegheniense Small
Aspen onion	Allium bisceptrum S. Watson var. palmeri (S. Watson) Cronquist
Autumn onion	Allium stellatum Fraser ex Ker Gawl.
Bear garlic, Ramsons, Wild Garlic	Allium ursinum L.
Beegum onion	Allium hoffmanii Ownbey
Bigelow's onion	Allium bigelovii S. Watson
Black garlic	Allium nigrum L.
Blue Mountain onion	Allium dictuon H. St. John
Bolander's onion	Allium bolanderi S. Watson and vars. bolanderi, mirabile, stenanthum
Brandegee's onion	Allium brandegeei S. Watson
Broadleaf wild leek	Allium ampeloprasum L.
Broadleaf wild leek	Allium atroviolaceum Boiss.
Broadstemmed onion	Allium platycaule S. Watson
Bulbil onion	Allium geyeri S. Watson var. tenerum M.E. Jones
Burlew's onion	Allium burlewii Davidson
Cascade onion	Allium cratericola Eastw.
Chinese chives	Allium odorum L.
Chinese chives	Allium tuberosum Rottler ex Spreng.
Clokey's onion	Allium howellii Eastw. var. clokeyi Ownbey & Aase
Coastal onion	Allium dichlamydeum Greene
Columbian onion	Allium columbianum (Ownbey & Mingrone) P. Peterson, Annable & Rieseberg
Compact onion	Allium vineale L. ssp. compactum (Thuill.) Coss. & Germ.
Congdon's onion	Allium sanbornii Alph. Wood var. congdonii Jeps.
Crinkled onion	Allium crispum Greene
Cuddy Mountain onion	Allium fibrillum M.E. Jones
Cultivated garlic	Allium sativum L.
Darkred onion	Allium atrorubens S. Watson and vars. atrorubens, cristatum
Dotted onion	Allium punctum L.F. Hend.
Douglas' onion	Allium douglasii Hook.
Drummond's onion	Allium drummondii Regel
Dusky onion	Allium campanulatum S. Watson
Early onion	Allium praecox Brandegee
Egyptian onion	Allium proliferum (hybrid of A. cepa and A. fistulosum)
Elmendorf's onion	Allium elmendorfii M.E. Jones ex Ownbey
Field garlic	Allium oleraceum L.
Fragile onion	Allium scilloides Douglas ex S. Watson
Fraser meadow garlic	Allium canadense L. var. fraseri Ownbey
Fringed onion	Allium fimbriatum S. Watson and var. fimbriatum
Garden leek	Allium porrum L.
Garden onion	Allium cepa L.
Geyer's onion	Allium geyeri S. Watson and vars. chatterleyi, geyeri
Gland onion	Allium glandulosum Link & Otto
Glassy onion	Allium hyalinum Curran
Goodding's onion	Allium gooddingii Ownbey
Grand Coulee onion	Allium constrictum (Ownbey & Mingrone) P. Peterson, Annable & Rieseberg
Hickman's onion	Allium hickmanii Eastw.
Howell's onion	Allium howellii Eastw. and var. howellii
Hyacinth meadow garlic	Allium canadense L. var. hyacinthoides (Bush) Ownbey & Aase
Jepson's onion	Allium jepsonii (Ownbey & Aase) S. Denison & McNeal
Jeweled onion	Allium serra McNeal & Ownbey
Kern's pitted onion	Allium lacunosum S. Watson var. kernense McNeal & Ownbey
Kunth's onion	Allium kunthii G. Don
Largeflower onion	Allium macropetalum Rydb.
Lemmon's onion	Allium lemmonii S. Watson
Lillydale onion	Allium oxyphilum Wherry
Little River Canyon onion	Allium speculae Ownbey & Aase
Manyflower onion	Allium pleianthum S. Watson
Meadow garlic	Allium canadense L. and vars. canadense, ecristatum, lavandulare, mobilense
Mediterranean onion	Allium paniculatum L.
Mexicali onion	Allium peninsulare Lemmon ex Greene
Mojave fringed onion	Allium fimbriatum S. Watson var. mohavense (Tidestr.) Jeps.
Munz's onion	Allium munzii (Ownbey ex Traub) McNeal
Narrowleaf onion	Allium amplectens Hook.
Narrowleaf wild leek	Allium burdickii (Hanes) A.G. Jones
Nevada onion	Allium nevadense S. Watson
Nevius' garlic	Allium nevii S. Watson
New Mexican nodding onion	Allium cernuum Roth var. neomexicanum (Rydb.) J.F. Macbr.
Nodding onion	Allium cernuum Roth and vars. cernuum, obtusum
Olympic onion	Allium crenulatum Wiegand
One-leaf onion	Allium unifolium Kellogg
Pacific onion	Allium validum S. Watson
Papery onion	Allium membranaceum Ownbey
Parish's onion	Allium parishii S. Watson
Parry's fringed onion	Allium parryi S. Watson
Passey's onion	Allium passeyi N.H. Holmgren & A.H. Holmgren
Peninsula onion	Allium peninsulare Lemmon ex Greene var. peninsulare		Many references give the common name "Peninsula Onion", this may be a perpetuated typo, but EOL^[2] uses "Peninsula onion"
Pitted onion	Allium lacunosum S. Watson and vars. davisiae, lacunosum, lacunosum, micranthum
Plains onion	Allium perdulce S.V. Fraser and var.perdulce
Purdy's fringed onion	Allium fimbriatum S. Watson var. purdyi (Eastw.) Ownbey & Aase
Rakkyo	Allium chinense G. Don
Ramp	Allium tricoccum Aiton
Rawhide Hill onion	Allium tuolumnense (Ownbey & Aase) S. Denison & McNeal
Red Sierra onion	Allium obtusum Lemmon and vars. conspicuum, obtusum
Redskin onion	Allium haematochiton S. Watson
Robinson's onion	Allium robinsonii L.F. Hend.
Rock onion	Allium macrum S. Watson
Runyon's onion	Allium runyonii Ownbey
San Benito onion	Allium howellii Eastw. var. sanbenitense (Traub) Ownbey & Aase
San Bernardino Mountain onion	Allium monticola Davidson
San Francisco onion	Allium peninsulare Lemmon ex Greene var. franciscanum McNeal & Ownbey
Sanborn's onion	Allium sanbornii Alph. Wood and var. sanbornii
Sand leek	Allium scorodoprasum L. and ssp. rotundum
Scytheleaf onion	Allium falcifolium Hook. & Arn.
Serpentine onion	Allium diabolense (Ownbey & Aase) McNeal
Sevendevils onion	Allium tolmiei (Hook.) Baker ex S. Watson var. persimile Ownbey
Sharsmith's onion	Allium sharsmithiae (Ownbey & Aase) McNeal
Shortstyle onion	Allium brevistylum S. Watson
Simil onion	Allium simillimum L.F. Hend.
Siskiyou onion	Allium siskiyouense Ownbey
Small onion	Allium parvum Kellogg
South Idaho onion	Allium aaseae Ownbey
Spanish Needle onion	Allium shevockii McNeal
Sperry's onion	Allium perdulce S.V. Fraser var. sperryi Ownbey
Striped garlic	Allium cuthbertii Small
Swamp onion	Allium madidum S. Watson
Tanners Canyon onion	Allium plummerae S. Watson
Tapertip onion	Allium acuminatum Hook.
Textile onion	Allium textile A. Nelson & J.F. Macbr.
Threebract onion	Allium tribracteatum Torr.
Threecorner leek	Allium triquetrum L.
Tolmie's onion	Allium tolmiei (Hook.) Baker ex S. Watson and var. tolmiei
Toothed onion	Allium denticulatum (Ownbey & Aase) McNeal
Triploid onion	Allium cornutum
Twincrest onion	Allium bisceptrum S. Watson and var. bisceptrum
Twinleaf onion	Allium anceps Kellogg
Victory onion	Allium victorialis L.
Wakegi onion	Allium wakegi (hybrid between A. cepa and A. fistulosum)
Wallowa onion	Allium tolmiei (Hook.) Baker ex S. Watson var. platyphyllum (Tidestr.) Ownbey
Welsh onion	Allium fistulosum L.
White garlic	Allium neapolitanum Cirillo
Wild chives	Allium schoenoprasum L. and vars. schoenoprasum, sibiricum
Wild garlic	Allium vineale L. and ssp. vineale
Wild onion	Allium ascalonicum L.
Yellowflower onion	Allium coryi M.E. Jones
Yosemite onion	Allium yosemitense Eastw.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Classification USDA PLANTS. 2014-03-15.
2. Web site: Mexicali Onion - Allium peninsulare - Common names - Encyclopedia of Life. Encyclopedia of Life. 17 October 2018.