List of onion cultivars

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.

Cultivar names

Common name Scientific name Image Notes Abrams' onion Allium abramsii(Ownbey & Aase) McNeal Allegheny onion Allium alleghenienseSmall Aspen onion Allium bisceptrumS. Watson var. palmeri (S. Watson) Cronquist Autumn onion Allium stellatumFraser ex Ker Gawl. Bear garlic, Ramsons, Wild Garlic Allium ursinumL. Beegum onion Allium hoffmaniiOwnbey Bigelow's onion Allium bigeloviiS. Watson Black garlic Allium nigrumL. Blue Mountain onion Allium dictuonH. St. John Bolander's onion Allium bolanderiS. Watson and vars. bolanderi, mirabile, stenanthum Brandegee's onion Allium brandegeeiS. Watson Broadleaf wild leek Allium ampeloprasumL. Broadleaf wild leek Allium atroviolaceumBoiss. Broadstemmed onion Allium platycauleS. Watson Bulbil onion Allium geyeriS. Watson var. tenerum M.E. Jones Burlew's onion Allium burlewiiDavidson Cascade onion Allium cratericolaEastw. Chinese chives Allium odorumL. Chinese chives Allium tuberosumRottler ex Spreng. Clokey's onion Allium howelliiEastw. var. clokeyi Ownbey & Aase Coastal onion Allium dichlamydeumGreene Columbian onion Allium columbianum(Ownbey & Mingrone) P. Peterson, Annable & Rieseberg Compact onion Allium vinealeL. ssp. compactum (Thuill.) Coss. & Germ. Congdon's onion Allium sanborniiAlph. Wood var. congdonii Jeps. Crinkled onion Allium crispumGreene Cuddy Mountain onion Allium fibrillumM.E. Jones Cultivated garlic Allium sativumL. Darkred onion Allium atrorubensS. Watson and vars. atrorubens, cristatum Dotted onion Allium punctumL.F. Hend. Douglas' onion Allium douglasiiHook. Drummond's onion Allium drummondiiRegel Dusky onion Allium campanulatumS. Watson Early onion Allium praecoxBrandegee Egyptian onion Allium proliferum(hybrid of A. cepa and A. fistulosum) Elmendorf's onion Allium elmendorfiiM.E. Jones ex Ownbey Field garlic Allium oleraceumL. Fragile onion Allium scilloidesDouglas ex S. Watson Fraser meadow garlic Allium canadenseL. var. fraseri Ownbey Fringed onion Allium fimbriatumS. Watson and var. fimbriatum Garden leek Allium porrumL. Garden onion Allium cepaL. Geyer's onion Allium geyeriS. Watson and vars. chatterleyi, geyeri Gland onion Allium glandulosumLink & Otto Glassy onion Allium hyalinumCurran Goodding's onion Allium gooddingiiOwnbey Grand Coulee onion Allium constrictum(Ownbey & Mingrone) P. Peterson, Annable & Rieseberg Hickman's onion Allium hickmaniiEastw. Howell's onion Allium howelliiEastw. and var. howellii Hyacinth meadow garlic Allium canadenseL. var. hyacinthoides (Bush) Ownbey & Aase Jepson's onion Allium jepsonii(Ownbey & Aase) S. Denison & McNeal Jeweled onion Allium serraMcNeal & Ownbey Kern's pitted onion Allium lacunosumS. Watson var. kernense McNeal & Ownbey Kunth's onion Allium kunthiiG. Don Largeflower onion Allium macropetalumRydb. Lemmon's onion Allium lemmoniiS. Watson Lillydale onion Allium oxyphilumWherry Little River Canyon onion Allium speculaeOwnbey & Aase Manyflower onion Allium pleianthumS. Watson Meadow garlic Allium canadenseL. and vars. canadense, ecristatum, lavandulare, mobilense Mediterranean onion Allium paniculatumL. Mexicali onion Allium peninsulareLemmon ex Greene Mojave fringed onion Allium fimbriatumS. Watson var. mohavense (Tidestr.) Jeps. Munz's onion Allium munzii(Ownbey ex Traub) McNeal Narrowleaf onion Allium amplectensHook. Narrowleaf wild leek Allium burdickii(Hanes) A.G. Jones Nevada onion Allium nevadenseS. Watson Nevius' garlic Allium neviiS. Watson New Mexican nodding onion Allium cernuumRoth var. neomexicanum (Rydb.) J.F. Macbr. Nodding onion Allium cernuumRoth and vars. cernuum, obtusum Olympic onion Allium crenulatumWiegand One-leaf onion Allium unifoliumKellogg Pacific onion Allium validumS. Watson Papery onion Allium membranaceumOwnbey Parish's onion Allium parishiiS. Watson Parry's fringed onion Allium parryiS. Watson Passey's onion Allium passeyiN.H. Holmgren & A.H. Holmgren Peninsula onion Allium peninsulareLemmon ex Greene var. peninsulare Many references give the common name "Peninsula Onion", this may be a perpetuated typo, but EOL uses "Peninsula onion" Pitted onion Allium lacunosumS. Watson and vars. davisiae, lacunosum, lacunosum, micranthum Plains onion Allium perdulceS.V. Fraser and var.perdulce Purdy's fringed onion Allium fimbriatumS. Watson var. purdyi (Eastw.) Ownbey & Aase Rakkyo Allium chinenseG. Don Ramp Allium tricoccumAiton Rawhide Hill onion Allium tuolumnense(Ownbey & Aase) S. Denison & McNeal Red Sierra onion Allium obtusumLemmon and vars. conspicuum, obtusum Redskin onion Allium haematochitonS. Watson Robinson's onion Allium robinsoniiL.F. Hend. Rock onion Allium macrumS. Watson Runyon's onion Allium runyoniiOwnbey San Benito onion Allium howelliiEastw. var. sanbenitense (Traub) Ownbey & Aase San Bernardino Mountain onion Allium monticolaDavidson San Francisco onion Allium peninsulareLemmon ex Greene var. franciscanum McNeal & Ownbey Sanborn's onion Allium sanborniiAlph. Wood and var. sanbornii Sand leek Allium scorodoprasumL. and ssp. rotundum Scytheleaf onion Allium falcifoliumHook. & 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 brevistylumS. Watson Simil onion Allium simillimumL.F. Hend. Siskiyou onion Allium siskiyouenseOwnbey Small onion Allium parvumKellogg South Idaho onion Allium aaseaeOwnbey Spanish Needle onion Allium shevockiiMcNeal Sperry's onion Allium perdulceS.V. Fraser var. sperryi Ownbey Striped garlic Allium cuthbertiiSmall Swamp onion Allium madidumS. Watson Tanners Canyon onion Allium plummeraeS. Watson Tapertip onion Allium acuminatumHook. Textile onion Allium textileA. Nelson & J.F. Macbr. Threebract onion Allium tribracteatumTorr. Threecorner leek Allium triquetrumL. 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 bisceptrumS. Watson and var. bisceptrum Twinleaf onion Allium ancepsKellogg Victory onion Allium victorialisL. 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 fistulosumL. White garlic Allium neapolitanumCirillo Wild chives Allium schoenoprasumL. and vars. schoenoprasum, sibiricum Wild garlic Allium vinealeL. and ssp. vineale Wild onion Allium ascalonicumL. Yellowflower onion Allium coryiM.E. Jones Yosemite onion Allium yosemitenseEastw.

References