Allium fistulosum

Allium fistulosum (Welsh / bunching onion) seed for mild, slim spring onions. Hardy, clump-forming allium grown for its hollow stems rather than a bulb — crop over a long season.
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Allium fistulosum — spring onion

Allium fistulosum is the botanical name for the Welsh or bunching onion, the species behind most true spring onions and a hardy, clump-forming member of our allium family. Unlike the common bulb onion, it is grown for its slender, mild-tasting stems rather than a swollen bulb.

History & origin

Allium fistulosum has been cultivated in East Asia for thousands of years and is a cornerstone of Chinese, Japanese and Korean cooking — the "negi" and bunching onions of those kitchens. It never grew wild and is known only in cultivation, having spread west to Europe centuries ago, where the curious name "Welsh" actually derives from an old word meaning foreign rather than from Wales. The genus name Allium is the Latin for garlic, while fistulosum means hollow, describing the tubular leaves.

Botanical characteristics

This is a hardy perennial usually grown as an annual, forming clumps of upright, hollow blue-green leaves and slim white shanks instead of a round bulb. It is far more cold-tolerant than the bulb onion and does not form a storage bulb, so it can be cut fresh over a long season and many types simply re-sprout from the base. Mild and crisp, it bridges the gap between onion and chive, and like other quick alliums it sits well among our fast-growing vegetables.

Growing Allium fistulosum from seed

Bunching onions are easy and forgiving. Sow direct in rows or clusters from spring to late summer, thin lightly, and pull as you need them once pencil-thick — there's no need to wait for a bulb to form. Hardy types can be left to stand through winter for early spring pickings. Our vegetable growing guide covers the essentials, and the vegetable sowing calendar shows the sowing windows.

Ready for fresh, mild onion flavour over a long season? Browse the varieties below.

Related categories: Spring Onion · Alliums · Fast-Growing Vegetables · Fresh Leafy Greens · All Vegetables

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What is the difference between Allium fistulosum and a regular onion?
Allium fistulosum (the Welsh or bunching onion) does not form a round storage bulb. It is grown for its slim, hollow stems and is hardier and more perennial than the common bulb onion. Why is it called a Welsh onion if it comes from Asia?
The 'Welsh' here comes from an old Germanic word meaning foreign, not from Wales. The plant is in fact native to cultivation in East Asia. Do bunching onions come back each year?
Many types are perennial and re-sprout from the clump if you leave some in the ground, so you can crop the same planting over several seasons. When can I start harvesting?
Pull spring onions as soon as the stems are about pencil-thick — there is no need to wait for a bulb, so cropping starts within weeks of sowing.