Habit
Liliane Roubaudi, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0
Chives
Allium schoenoprasum L.
Family: Amaryllidaceae
20 to 40 cm tall
Grown in the vegetable garden and herb gardens, also wild in the mountains on cool soils
Flowering: May – July
Full sun
Part shade
Very hardy, to about -25°C, the foliage dies back in winter and regrows in spring
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Chives are the smallest cultivated species of the genus Allium, which also includes garlic, onion and leek — all share the same characteristic smell due to sulphur compounds. Both form clumps of fine, hollow green stems, but the Welsh onion has much thicker stems and a slight swelling at the base, close to a small onion.
🍃 Leaves
Fine, cylindrical, hollow, arranged in a dense clump (the part eaten)
🌸 Flowers
Pink to violet, grouped in a dense spherical umbel at the top of a flower stalk
🍎 Fruits
Small 3-celled capsule
🪵 Bark
Perennial herbaceous clump formed of small tightly packed bulbs
🗺️ Distribution
Found throughout France, notably in the mountains; widely grown in vegetable gardens
🐝 Value for pollinators
Very nectar-rich umbels, among the most attractive herbs for bees
✂️ Horticultural uses
Essential perennial herb of the vegetable garden, also used as an ornamental edging for its pink flowers
⚠️ Possible toxicity
Edible for humans, but toxic to dogs, cats and horses (like other Allium): can cause haemolytic anaemia if eaten in large amounts by an animal.
⚠️ Look-alike species
Chives
Allium schoenoprasum
Welsh onion
Allium fistulosum
Both form clumps of fine, hollow green stems, but the Welsh onion has much thicker stems and a slight swelling at the base, close to a small onion.
🌿 Other Amaryllidaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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