Onions are vegetables that belong to the lily family of plants. It is grown for its edible bulb, which most often serves to flavor a variety of foods. Onions are categorized as being either green or dry onions. The amazing onion provides layers of flavor, color, and texture to a wide variety of dishes and cuisines. It has also been used in traditional medicines since ancient times for its health promoting and curative properties. Onion grows in temperate regions, on the sandy and well drained soils. Besides high nutritional value, onion beneficially affects human health.
| Name | Onion |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Allium cepa |
| Native | Central Asia |
| Common/English Name | Bombay Onion, Brown Onion, Bulb Onion, Common Onion, Onion |
| Name in Other Languages | German : Bolle Albanian : Qepë India : Piyaj Arabic : Bassal Azerbaijani : Sogan Nepal : Pyaz (Nepali), Chāp (Newar) Basque : Kipula French Haiti : Zonyon ( Creole ) Bosnian : Crni Luk Catalan : Ceba Dutch : Ajuin Turkmen : Sogan Estonian : Sibul Finnish : Punasipuli Icelandic : Höfuđlaukur Macedonian : Kokar Italian : Cipolla Slovenia : Čebula Bulgarian : Luk Tibetan : Tsōn Chechen : Xox French : Oignon Gaelic ( Irish ): Oinniún Czech : Cibule Portuguese : Ceba Korean : Dungulpha Breton : Ognon Thai : Hom Farang Japanese : Tamanegi Turkish : Soğan Welsh : Nionyn Galician : Cebola Afrikaans : Ui Lithuanian : Valgomasis Svoqūnas Brunei : Bawang Majorcan : Ceba Belarusian : Tsabulji Zepchatyi Serbian : Arpadžik Philippines : Sibuyas ( Bikol ) Uzbek : Piyoz Khmer : Khtüm Barang Persian : Piyaaz Swedish : Lök Kurdish : Pyāz Zulu : U-Anyanisi Greek : Kremmy Di To Koino Hungarian : Hagyma Indonesia : Bawang Bombaj Spanish : Ajo Porro Amharic : Gäyy Šenkurt Russian : Luk Repčatyj Hebrew : Bazal Swahili : Kitunguu Yiddish : Tsibehleh Burmese : Kyet-Thun Slovak : Cibul’a Kychyňská Norwegian : Kepalřk Kepaløk Sri Lanka : Luku Loonu ( Sinahla ) Chinese : Chhang-Thâu Sorbian : Cybula Vietnamese : Cu Hành Papua New Guinea : Anian Ukrainian : Cibulja Romanian : Ceapă Ceaclama Kashmiri : Prān Laotian : Bwàx Fàlangx Croatian : Crni Luk Georgian : Khakhvi Latvian : Sīpols Armenian : Soch Malaysia : Bawang Gaelic ( Scottish ): Uinnean Danish : Kepa-Løg Niuean : Aniani Polish : Cebula Somali : Basal Tajik : Piëz |
| Plant Growth Habit | Biennial herb |
| Growing Climate | Cool season vegetable |
| Soil | Well drained, fertile soil rich in organic matter |
| Plant Size | 15 to 45 cm (6 to 18 in) |
| Root | Adventitious, fibrous roots |
| Leaf | Yellowish-green and grow alternately in a flattened, fan-shaped swathe. They are fleshy, hollow, and cylindrical, with one flattened side. |
| Flower | Globular umbel of white flowers with parts in sixes. |
| Fruit Shape & Size | Depressed globose, ovoid or elongate, varying in size from cultivar to cultivar, 5–8 × 3–10 cm. |
| Fruit Color | Yellowish brown, orangey brown, purplish, red, greyish white or white forming the protective coat |
| Flavor/Aroma | Sharp, pungent smell |
| Seed | Glossy black and triangular in cross section. |
| Varieties/Types | Snow White Hybrid Onion, White Granex Onion, Bianca Onion, Gladalan White Onion, White Spanish Onion, Mild Onions, Candy Hybrid Onion, Walla Walla Sweet Onion, Granex Yellow Hybrid Onion, Texas Super sweet Onion, Sweet and Early Hybrid Onion, Yellow Ebenezer Onion, Savannah Sweet Onion, Sweet Spanish Hybrid Onion, Texas Grano Onion, Giant Red Hamburger Onion, Salad Red Onion, Red Delicious Onion, Redshine Onion, Redwing Onion, Red Emperor Onion, Evergreen Long White Onion,Parade Onion, White Lisbon Onion, Creamgold Onion, Murray Brown Onion, Baby Onion, Pearl Onion, Bermuda Onion, Egyptian Onion, Fresh Onion, Maui Onion, Scallion onion, Shallot onion, Spanish Onion, Sweet Onion, Vidalia Onion, Cipollini Onion, Yellow Multiplier Onion, Gurney’s Sweet Mesquite Hybrid Onion |
| Season | Mid-May to mid-June. |
| Major Nutrition | Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) 0.192 mg (14.77%) Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid) 11.8 mg (13.11%) Carbohydrate 14.94 g (11.49%) Manganese, Mn 0.206 mg (8.96%) Vitamin B9 (Folate) 30 µg (7.50%) Total dietary Fiber 2.7 g (7.11%) Copper, Cu 0.062 mg (6.89%) Phosphorus, P 46 mg (6.57%) Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) 0.074 mg (6.17%) Threonine 0.034 g (5.00%) |
| Health Benefits |
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| Calories in 1cup (100gm) | 64 Kcal |
Onion (Allium cepa) Scientific Classification
| Scientific name | Allium cepa |
|---|---|
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta |
| Order | Liliales |
| Family | Liliaceae |
| Genus | Allium L. |
| Species | Allium cepa L. |
| Super division | Spermatophyta |
| Division | Magnoliophyta |
| Class | Liliopsida |
| Sub Class | Liliidae |