Chives - Allium Schoenoprasum - Organic perennial

Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) (also: pipe grass) are plants in the daffodil family (Amaryllidaceae). The plant is related to bulbous plants such as onion, leek, wild garlic and chives. Chives are a perennial plant native to Europe and Northern Asia. The plant flowers in June and July with blue-pink-violet umbels. In Belgium and the Netherlands wild chives can still be found.

Chives provide a food supply under the ground that survives the winter, so that they can come up very quickly in spring and flower and produce seed. Each 'bulb' forms a new bulb, but often several brood bulbs at the roots. This is the asexual form of reproduction. There is also sexual reproduction, through seed formation.

The plant is pollen-forming and has in the family the smallest bulbs, which are however similar to the large bulbs of Hippeastrum.

Chives are visited by bees. (Source: wikipedia)

BIO-NL-01