Stats

Lifespan: Biennial
Size: Medium
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Temperate grassland
Range: Central Asia
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Bulbs
Defense: Toxins
Status: Uncommon

About

The common onion is one of the oldest cultivated vegetables, grown for over 5,000 years for its layered bulb. When cut, it releases sulfenic acids that convert to a volatile compound reacting with eye moisture — the true cause of cooking tears.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Asparagales
Family: Amaryllidaceae
Genus: Allium
Species: Allium cepa