''Allium ochotense'', or the Siberian onion, is a primarily

East Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...

n species of wild onion native to northern

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, and the

Russian Far East The Russian Far East ( rus, Дальний Восток России, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in North Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asia, Asian continent, and is coextensive with the Far Easte ...

, as well as on

Attu Island Attu (, ) is an island in the Near Islands (part of the Aleutian Islands chain). It is one of the westernmost points of the U.S. state of Alaska. The island became uninhabited in 2010, making it the largest uninhabited island that is part of th ...

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

. Some authors have considered ''A. ochotense'' as belonging to the same species as '' A. victorialis'', but more recent authorities have treated it as a distinct species.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref>

Description

''Allium ochotense'' grows to in height, (world encyclopedia, in Japanese), article on ''gyōja ninniku'' by botanist with a strong garlic-like odor, and has "bulbs.. surrounded by a grayish-brown, netlike coating. The leaves are 1–3 glabrous, broadly elliptic,... perianth (flower) whitish-green".Hultén, Eric (1968). Flora of Alaska and Neighboring Territories: A Manual of the Vascular Plants. Stanford University Press. p. 307. . The plant is slow-growing, and aside from seed-propagation, "''A. victorialis'' has two vegetative propagation systems; one is

tillering A tiller is a lever to provide leverage for the helmsman to turn the rudder of a ship. Tiller may also refer to: Animals * Tiller (horse) (born 1974), an American thoroughbred racehorse Archery *Tiller, the stock of a crossbow *Tiller, the diff ...

and the other is adventitious buds". The plant has an intense

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...

-like odor (cf.

allicin Allicin is an organosulfur compound obtained from garlic and leeks. When fresh garlic is chopped or crushed, the enzyme alliinase converts alliin into allicin, which is responsible for the aroma of fresh garlic. Allicin is unstable and quickl ...

content) that is thought more intense than garlic itself.

Etymology

''Allium'' is the ancient

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

name for

.Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. (hardback), (paperback). p 43 The specific epithet, ''ochotense'', was given by Yarosláv Ivánovich Prokhánov (Яросла́в Ива́нович Проха́нов) 902–1965 a Soviet botanist, systematist, geographer, geneticist, Doctor of Biological Science, and professor.(1930). "Bulletin of Applied Botany, Genetics, and Plant Breeding". 114. 2: 174 It was presumably named in reference to the Okhotsk region of

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, a place where this species is known to occur.

Distribution

''Allium ochotense'' is centered in the

Amur River The Amur River () or Heilong River ( zh, s=黑龙江) is a perennial river in Northeast Asia, forming the natural border between the Russian Far East and Northeast China (historically the Outer and Inner Manchuria). The Amur ''proper'' is ...

basin area, thus, it occurs in the

Amur The Amur River () or Heilong River ( zh, s=黑龙江) is a perennial river in Northeast Asia, forming the natural border between the Russian Far East and Northeast China (historically the Outer Manchuria, Outer and Inner Manchuria). The Amur ...

Khabarovsk Khabarovsk ( ) is the largest city and the administrative centre of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia,Law #109 located from the China–Russia border, at the confluence of the Amur and Ussuri Rivers, about north of Vladivostok. As of the 2021 Russian c ...

Primorye Primorsky Krai, informally known as Primorye, is a federal subject (a krai) of Russia, part of the Far Eastern Federal District in the Russian Far East. The city of Vladivostok on the southern coast of the krai is its administrative center, an ...

regions of

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

, and into

Sakhalin Sakhalin ( rus, Сахали́н, p=səxɐˈlʲin) is an island in Northeast Asia. Its north coast lies off the southeastern coast of Khabarovsk Krai in Russia, while its southern tip lies north of the Japanese island of Hokkaido. An islan ...

and

Kuril Islands The Kuril Islands or Kurile Islands are a volcanic archipelago administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast in the Russian Far East. The islands stretch approximately northeast from Hokkaido in Japan to Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, separating the ...

within the

. In

, the plant grows in

Inner Mongolia Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of China. Its border includes two-thirds of the length of China's China–Mongolia border, border with the country of Mongolia. ...

and

(

Heilongjiang Heilongjiang is a province in northeast China. It is the northernmost and easternmost province of the country and contains China's northernmost point (in Mohe City along the Amur) and easternmost point (at the confluence of the Amur and Us ...

Jilin ) , image_skyline = Changbaishan Tianchi from western rim.jpg , image_alt = , image_caption = View of Heaven Lake , image_map = Jilin in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_al ...

Liaoning ) , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = Clockwise: Mukden Palace in Shenyang, Xinghai Square in Dalian, Dalian coast, Yalu River at Dandong , image_map = Liaoning in China (+all claims hatched).svg , ...

Hebei Hebei is a Provinces of China, province in North China. It is China's List of Chinese administrative divisions by population, sixth-most populous province, with a population of over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. It bor ...

Henan Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...

Anhui Anhui is an inland Provinces of China, province located in East China. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze and Huai rivers, bordering Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the east, Jiang ...

Hubei Hubei is a province of China, province in Central China. It has the List of Chinese provincial-level divisions by GDP, seventh-largest economy among Chinese provinces, the second-largest within Central China, and the third-largest among inland ...

Zhejiang ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...

Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...

Shanxi Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...

Gansu Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...

, and

Sichuan Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...

). The range also includes

, in

Ulleungdo Ulleungdo (), also spelled Ulreungdo, is a South Korean island east of the Korean Peninsula in the Sea of Japan. It was formerly known as Dagelet Island or Argonaut Island in Europe. Volcanic in origin, the rocky steep-sided island is the top o ...

and the high mountains (over ) in the

Korean Peninsula Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically divided at or near the 38th parallel between North Korea (Dem ...

, including

Paektu Mountain Paektu Mountain or Baekdu Mountain () is an active stratovolcano on the Chinese–North Korean border. In China, it is known as Changbai Mountain (). At , it is the tallest mountain in North Korea and Northeast China and the tallest mounta ...

, and

(

Hokkaido is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...

and

Honshu , historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...

), in colonies from Hokkaido down to the

Kinki The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropolit ...

area (

Nara Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara Prefecture has a population of 1,321,805 and has a geographic area of . Nara Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Osaka Prefecture to the ...

), in coniferous and mixed forested wetlands in subalpine terrain. The plant's range extends nominally into the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, but ''A. ochotense'' is only found natively growing on

, the westernmost island of the Aleutian archipelago. There are colonies on

Unalaska Island Unalaska (, ) is a volcanic island in the Fox Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in the US state of Alaska located at . The island has a land area of . It measures long and wide. The city of Unalaska, Alaska, covers part of the island a ...

, but they are thought to be introduced.Flora of North America, Vol. 26 Page 234 ''Allium victorialis'' Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 295. 1753.
/ref>

Cultivation

From around 1990, it has been grown horticulturally in Hokkaido and snowy regions on the eastern side of

Honshū , historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the seventh-largest island in the world, and the second-most populous after the Indonesian ...

. Outbreaks of plant disease have been reported in these onion paddy farms. It requires approximately four years from sowing to harvest.

Cultivars

Utsunomiya University is a Japanese national university, national university in Japan. The main campus is located in Miné-machi, and the engineering campus at Yōtō, in Utsunomiya, Tochigi, Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture. History Utsunomiya University was estab ...

's Agriculture Department, the research group led by then-assistant professor Nobuaki Fujishige developed an ''A. ochotense'' × '' A. tuberosum'' (garlic chives) hybrid, which they dubbed . It resembles the garlic chive in outward appearance, but inherits the thick-stalked trait of '' A. victorialis'', and like the garlic chive, is ready for harvest after 1 year. It has been sold in the commercial market since 2008 in Nagai, Yamagata.

Chemistry

Researchers have identified 1-propenyl disulfides and vinyldithiins as odor compounds., citing Nisimura ''et al''. 1988 for NMR analysis. Specific odor agents include: "methyl allyl disulfide (Chinese chive odor),

diallyl disulfide Diallyl disulfide (DADS or 4,5-dithia-1,7-octadiene) is an organosulfur compound derived from garlic and a few other plants in the genus ''Allium''. Along with diallyl trisulfide and diallyl tetrasulfide, it is one of the principal components of ...

(garlic-like odor), and

dimethyl disulfide Dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) is an organic chemical compound with the molecular formula . It is a flammable liquid with an unpleasant, garlic-like odor resembling that of "leaking gas". The compound is colorless, although impure samples often appea ...

and methyl allyl trisulfide (pickles-like odor)".

Uses

Culinary

China

In China its name is given as ''gecong'' ( zh, c=(), p=gěcōng, w=ko3-t'ung1 , l=ge onion) or ''shancong'' ( zh, c=山蔥, p=shāncōng, w=shan1-t'ung1, l=alpine onion). Its use may be not be widespread. One source only mentions that the Jiarongic minority harvest the "tender unfolding leaves" which they sun-dry and serve on special occasions.

Japan

The Japanese name means literally "a (type of) garlic that a ''gyōja'' makes use of as food," where a ''gyōja'' signifies a monk or a lay person engaged in ascetic training outdoors (cf. ,

Shugendō is a syncretic Esoteric Buddhist religion, a body of ascetic practices that originated in the Nara Period of Japan having evolved during the 7th century from an amalgamation of beliefs, philosophies, doctrines and ritual systems drawn prim ...

). Much of its flourishing habitat occurs in

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

s such as national parks. Hence it is considered a scarce ''

sansai is a Japanese language, Japanese word literally meaning "mountain vegetables", originally referring to vegetables that grew naturally, were foraged in the wild, and not grown and harvested from fields. However, in modern times, the distinctio ...

'' (wild-harvested vegetable), and commands high prices at the market. Siberian onion is an important ethnobotanic food plant for the indigenous

Ainu people The Ainu are an Indigenous peoples, indigenous ethnic group who reside in northern Japan and southeastern Russia, including Hokkaido and the Tōhoku region of Honshu, as well as the land surrounding the Sea of Okhotsk, such as Sakhalin, the Ku ...

of Japan. In the

Ainu language Ainu (, ), or more precisely Hokkaido Ainu (), is a language spoken by a few elderly members of the Ainu people on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. It is a member of the Ainu language family, itself considered a language family isola ...

it is called ''pukusa'', ''kitobiru'', or ( since "biru/hiru" is a Japanese word for onion-type plants), simply ''kito''. Siberian onion comes into season in Hokkaido for

foraging Foraging is searching for wild food resources. It affects an animal's fitness because it plays an important role in an animal's ability to survive and reproduce. Foraging theory is a branch of behavioral ecology that studies the foraging behavi ...

from early to mid-May. The Ainu traditionally gather the leaves (but not the whole bulb), which are chopped up and dried for future use. The plant may be used by the Ainu in the savory soup called , or in the , described as a type of stew using multiple ingredients, or a dish where ingredients are tossed in animal fat oil. In modern days, the leafstalk can be preserved by steeping in

soy sauce Soy sauce (sometimes called soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of China, Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermentation (food), fermented paste of soybeans, roasted cereal, grain, brine, and ''Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''A ...

, or the fresh leaves can be made into '' ohitashi'' (parboiled and served plain or with

dashi is a family of stocks used in Japanese cuisine. ''Dashi'' forms the base for miso soup, clear broth soup, noodle broth soup, and many simmering liquids to accentuate the savory flavor known as umami. ''Dashi'' is also mixed into the flour b ...

flavor), made into gyōza (pot-sticker dumplings), or blended into a tamagoyaki-type omelet. The young unraveled leaves with a stalk about 1 cm (half-inch) have rich flavor and fragrance and are especially prized. Also, the stalks being commercially grown by blanching (cf. white asparagus) have been gaining popularity. There are a number of inedible or poisonous plants that can be mistaken for victory onions in Japan, and those reported cases of consumption and illness include: '' Veratrum album'' ( Ja: ''baikeisō''), ''Veratrum stamineum'' ( Ja: ''ko-baikeisō''), '' Colchicum autumnale'' ( Ja:''inu-safuran'') and

lily of the valley Lily of the valley (''Convallaria majalis'' ), sometimes written lily-of-the-valley, is a woodland flowering plant with sweetly scented, pendent, bell-shaped white flowers borne in sprays in spring. It is native throughout the cool temperate No ...

. The distinctive smell should tell it apart.

Korea

, the ''A. ochotense'' and '' A. microdictyon'' are called ''sanmaneul'' (, "mountain garlic"). While the official name for ''A. ochotense'' is ''Ulleung sanmaneul'' (, "

mountain garlic"), the most common name used by

Korean people Koreans are an East Asian people, East Asian ethnicity, ethnic group native to the Korean Peninsula. The majority of Koreans live in the two Korean sovereign states of North and South Korea, which are collectively referred to as Korea. As ...

is ''myeongi'' (), whose romanized form (along with ''Siberian onion'') is an English name of the plant. ''Myeongi'' is also called ''myeonginamul'' (), because it is considered a ''

namul ''Namul'' () refers to either a variety of edible greens or leaves or seasoned herbal dishes made of them. Wild greens are called ''san-namul'' (), and spring vegetables are called ''bom-namul'' (). On the day of Daeboreum, the first full moo ...

'' (vegetable). ''Myeongi'' is a specialty of Ulleung Island, where the leaves grow wider and hardier. The leaves and the scaly bulb of ''myeongi'' are most often eaten as a ''namul''-type side dish, or as a ''

ssam ' () are dishes in Korean cuisine where one food is wrapped in another. A common variety is meat such as pork wrapped in a leafy vegetable.samgyeopsal ''Samgyeopsal'' (), ''samgyeopsal-gui'' (), or grilled pork belly is a type of '' gui'' (grilled dish) in Korean cuisine. Etymology Directly translated from Korean, ''samgyeop-sal'' () means "three layer flesh", referring to striations of lea ...

'' (grilled pork belly) meal. ''Myeongi'' is also eaten

pickled Pickling is the process of preserving or extending the shelf life of food by either anaerobic fermentation in brine or immersion in vinegar. The pickling procedure typically affects the food's texture and flavor. The resulting food is called ...

as a ''

jangajji ''Jangajji'' () or pickled vegetables is a type of ''banchan'' (side dish) made by pickling vegetables. * Unlike kimchi, ''jangajji'' is non-fermented vegetables, usually pickled in soy sauce, soybean paste, or chili paste. ''Jangajji'' dish ...

''-type side dish, or used as the last ingredient in ''dak- gomtang'' ("chicken bone soup").

Siberia

In Siberia, the young shoots are eaten.

Medicinal

Japan

In Japan, ''pukusa'' or Siberian onion has been used as a folk remedy among the Ainu. For example, it is administered as a diuretic to treat urine blockage relating to certain stomach disorders.

Korea

traditional Korean medicine Traditional Korean medicine (known in North Korea as Koryo medicine) refers to the forms of traditional medicine practiced in Korea. History Korean medical traditions originated in ancient and prehistoric times and can be traced back as far as ...

, myeongi was considered to be a warming herb, a

stomachic Stomachic is a historic term for a medicine that serves to tone the stomach, improving its function and increase appetite. While many herbal remedies claim stomachic effects, modern pharmacology does not have an equivalent term for this type ...

, and a detoxicant. As a herb, it was used to treat

indigestion Indigestion, also known as dyspepsia or upset stomach, is a condition of impaired digestion. Symptoms may include upper abdominal fullness, heartburn, nausea, belching, or upper abdominal pain. People may also experience feeling full earlier ...

, heatburn, small

abscess An abscess is a collection of pus that has built up within the tissue of the body, usually caused by bacterial infection. Signs and symptoms of abscesses include redness, pain, warmth, and swelling. The swelling may feel fluid-filled when pre ...

es, and bites and stings from venomous insects. The seed was used to treat

nocturnal emission A wet dream, sex dream, or sleep orgasm, is a spontaneous occurrence of sexual arousal during sleep that includes ejaculation (nocturnal emission) and orgasm for a male, and vaginal lubrication and/or orgasm for a female. Context Nocturnal e ...

Magical

In Japan, Ainu folklore held that due to its odor, Siberian onion was capable of repelling diseases. When an

epidemic An epidemic (from Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of hosts in a given population within a short period of time. For example, in meningococcal infection ...

broke out, the onion would be left hanging at the entrances to the village or dangled from the eaves of each house. "酒を得る前の樺太アイヌはお祈りのときに、ギョウジャ二ン二ク(プクサ)..を用いたという。これは強烈な臭気を発するので、その臭気を嫌う伝染病などは近づかないので、流行り病があると村の入り口や家の軒に下げておくことがある。"

Gallery

image:Allium victorialis, edible wild plants, Hokkaido Japan.jpg, ''A. ochotense'' (Hokkaido) image:platyphyllum.jpg, ''A. ochotense'' (

Nagano prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,007,682 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture ...

)

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15521402 ochotense Flora of the Aleutian Islands Flora of Eastern Asia Flora of China Flora of the Russian Far East Japanese vegetables Korean vegetables Onions Namul Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus

Description

Etymology

Distribution

Cultivation

Cultivars

Chemistry

Uses

Culinary

China

Japan

Korea

Siberia

Medicinal

Japan

Korea

Magical

Gallery

See also

References