“ The plants are bulbous herbs, with flat or rounded radical leaves, and a central naked or leafy stem, bearing a head or umbel of small flowers, with a spreading or bell-shaped white, pink, red, yellow or blue perianth. Several species afford useful foods, such as onion (Allium Cepa) , leek (A. Porrum) , shallot or eschallot (A. ascalonicum) , garlic (A. sativum) , and chives (A. schoenoprasum) . A few species are cultivated as border plants ”