Chives of Many Sorts
“He who bears chives on his breathe, Is safe from being kissed to death.”
The word Chive comes from the French word 'cive' which originated during the Roman era from the Latin word 'cepa' meaning onion. There are several primary varieties of Chives, the most common being 'common' or onion chives followed by garlic chives.
Chives are commonly used herbs and can be found in grocery stores or grown in home gardens. In culinary use, the scapes and the unopened, immature flower buds are diced and used as an ingredient for fish, potatoes, soups, and other dishes. The edible flowers can be used in salads. But it is the leaves that are used the most, as flavoring and spicy accents in food—perhaps most famous as sprinkled on sour cream on a baked potato. In Asia they are used even more commonly, and are used in stir-fries, and are often used to season woks.
Although chives are repulsive to insects in general, due to their sulfur compounds, their flowers attract bees and other pollinators, and they are at times kept to increase desired insect life—many pollinators are ferocious predators of aphids, whiteflies, and other pests in the garden when they are in their larval form—like the lady bug, green lacewing, and others.
Growing them is easy. Enriched garden soil is preferred, with regular moisture. Full to part sun—planted in too much shade, plants won’t thrive. Feed regularly with an organic, balanced fertilizer. Flowers appear in spring, into summer. The Siberian species are more difficult to grow in Arizona, and should have afternoon shade in the summer. Plants may go dormant in early summer. Keep flowers picked to discourage dormancy in warm weather. Divide plants every 2-3 years. Harvest as needed.
Common Chives aka Onion Chives (Allium schoenoprasum)
Allium Schoenoprasum
Common Chives
The common chive plant is most likely the one you will see the most. It is easy to grow and the flavor is most familiar to most. This is the only species of Allium native to both the New and the Old Worlds. The leaves of chives are hollow and tubular, and the plant gets about a foot tall and can spread a few feet given time. Purple flowers in spring into summer.
Garlic Chives, Chinese Chives (Allium tuberosum)
Allium tuberosum
Chinese Chives
Chinese chives (s0metimes called garlic chives) have more of a flat leaf, and the flavor is stronger. The plant grows faster and wider than common chives. Plants bloom in spring with white flowers. Often sold in Asian markets, as it is a staple in many cuisines.
Giant Siberian Chives (Allium ledebourianum)
Allium ledebourianum
Siberian Chives
Siberian Chives are an Asian species of wild onion native to central and northeastern Asia: Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, and China. They are taller than the other chives, growing up to 2’ tall. The shape and color of the flowers of this species varies a lot, and there are several subspecies, as well as very closely related species.
Siberian Garlic Chives aka Blue Chives (Allium nutans)
Allium nutans
Blue Chives
The least common chive you may see in Arizona are the blue Siberian chives. This is a species of onion native to Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Tibet, and Xinjiang. Large leaves, and bigger bulbs than any of the other chives. Large flowers in spring. Plants get up to 2’ tall.
Hooker’s Chives (Allium hookeri)
Allium hookeri
Hooker’s Chives
Hooker’s chives are not named after sex workers, but after Joseph Dalton Hooker, the British botanist and best friend of Charles Darwin. These are not common in the trade, but are akin to Chinese chives. The leaves are MUCH larger, and the other amazing thing about this plant are the edible roots—the roots that extend from the base of the bulbs produce copiously and are eaten raw or pickled.