A VERY SERIOUS FAMILY MEETING

Meet the
Alliums.

Scallion? Green onion? Daepa? Leek? They’re all relatives—but some are siblings, some are cousins, and one name is basically a disguise.

Get the 10-second answer ↓

ALL IN THE
GENUS ALLIUM

We get mixed up
all the time.

ONION FAMILY✦HOLLOW VS. FLAT LEAVES✦BULB OR NO BULB?✦ONE VERY CONFUSING PRODUCE AISLE✦ ONION FAMILY✦HOLLOW VS. FLAT LEAVES✦BULB OR NO BULB?✦ONE VERY CONFUSING PRODUCE AISLE✦

01 / THE SHORT VERSION

Same genus.
Different branches.

They’re all in the genus Allium, along with garlic, shallots, chives, and ramps. What changes is the species, the way they grow, and which bit we like to eat.

The biggest naming trap: “green onion” describes a market form, not one perfectly tidy species.

BRANCH AAllium fistulosum

The bunchers

Scallion / green onion, Welsh onion, Japanese bunching onion, and daepa. They stay slender or thick-shanked rather than making a big round bulb.

→

BRANCH BAllium cepa

The bulb makers

Regular onions and shallots. A young bulb onion may also be sold as a “green onion” or “spring onion,” which is where the labels get slippery.

BRANCH CAllium ampeloprasum

The leek branch

Garden leeks have broad, flat leaves arranged like a fan and a thick layered shank. They’re a distinct crop—not just an overgrown scallion.

≠ giant scallion

02 / THE MAIN LINEUP

Who’s who
in the crisper drawer

Use the silhouette first: skinny tube, chunky tube, flat fan, or round bulb.

HOLLOW LEAVES ↑

Scallion / green onion

THE SAME THING—USUALLY

In North American cooking, these names are normally interchangeable. The plant is often A. fistulosum, but it can also be an immature A. cepa.

LOOK: Pencil-thin, hollow green tubes, tiny white base
TASTE: Fresh, bright, lightly oniony
BEST AT: Garnish, salads, quick cooking

THICC SCALLION ENERGY

Daepa / giant green onion

SCALLION’S BIG SIBLING

Korean daepa (대파) is a large type of bunching onion, generally A. fistulosum. It has hollow leaves and an extra-long, sturdy white shank.

LOOK: Much thicker than a scallion; still tubular
TASTE: Oniony, sweetens beautifully with heat
BEST AT: Soups, stocks, grilling, pa-kimchi

FLAT LEAF FAN ↑

Leek

A DIFFERENT BRANCH

A leek isn’t a giant green onion. It has broad, flat, overlapping leaves, a layered shank, and usually belongs to A. ampeloprasum.

LOOK: Wide, flat leaves in a V-shaped fan
TASTE: Mild, sweet, earthy; soft when cooked
BEST AT: Braising, soups, pies, slow cooking

ACTUAL BULB ↓

Regular onion

THE BULB MAKER

The familiar yellow, white, or red bulb onion is A. cepa. It stores energy in a round, layered bulb and is usually harvested mature.

LOOK: Round papery bulb; greens often trimmed
TASTE: Sharp raw; deep and sweet cooked
BEST AT: Nearly everything, honestly

03 / SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

Four clues.
One produce aisle.

ROUND HOLLOW FLAT

CLUE	SCALLION	DAEPA	LEEK	ONION
Leaf shape	Hollow tubes	Big hollow tubes	Broad + flat	Hollow, if attached
Base	Slim + white	Thick, long shank	Layered white shank	Round bulb
Typical size	Small	Large	Large	Medium
Botanical lane	A. fistulosum*	A. fistulosum	A. ampeloprasum	A. cepa
Quick tell	Skinny + tubular	Chunky + tubular	Chunky + flat fan	It’s got the globe

* “Green onion” and “scallion” are market names, so some are young A. cepa rather than A. fistulosum.

04 / HEAD-TO-HEAD

Pick your
produce fighters

Choose any two and get the quickest useful distinction.

LEFT CORNER

RIGHT CORNER

THE FASTEST TELL

05 / THE EXTENDED FAMILY

Other relatives
worth inviting

All are in the genus Allium. They each found their own niche.

BULB CLUSTER

Shallot

Allium cepa, Aggregatum Group

Onion’s close cousin—or, taxonomically, part of onion’s own species. Smaller, clustered bulbs with a delicate flavor.

HERB MODE

Chives

Allium schoenoprasum

Fine hollow leaves used like an herb. Snip them; don’t ask them to carry a stew.

CLOVE MACHINE

Garlic

Allium sativum

A bulb made of cloves, with a stronger sulfurous punch. Its curly flower stalk is the garlic scape.

WILD ONE

Ramp

Allium tricoccum

A North American woodland allium with broad leaves and a bold garlic-onion flavor. Harvest responsibly.

Three bonus naming traps

Spring onion

Often means a young bulb onion with a small round bulb. In some regions, it’s just another name for scallion.

Garlic chives

Allium tuberosum: flat, grassy leaves and a garlicky taste. Not regular chives, not baby garlic.

Pearl + cipollini onions

Small shapes and cultivars of bulb onion—not separate branches of the family tree.

06 / IMPORTANT SELF-KNOWLEDGE

Which allium
are you?

Nine highly scientific questions. Ten possible produce personalities. Your answers quietly change the route.

Which allium are you?

A branching personality test from the produce aisle

Inspired by the cozy pixel-world energy of Vegetal ↗

THE ONE-SENTENCE CHEAT SHEET

“Scallions are skinny hollow bunching onions; daepa are their giant Korean relatives; leeks are flat-leaved cousins; and regular onions make the big round bulb.”

BOTANICAL RECEIPTS

Sources & caveats

Common names vary by country, grocer, and seed catalogue. Botanical names are cleaner, but cultivated groups can still be classified in slightly different ways. This guide uses current common horticultural treatment.

Kew — Plants of the World Online accepted plant names + family placement
NCBI Taxonomy — Allium cepa bulb onion taxonomy
Maangchi — Daepa Korean culinary use + form
Frontiers in Plant Science Allium fistulosum crop history + relationships