Chinese chive (Allium tuberosum) - Chinese chive (Allium tuberosum)

Japanese: ニラ(韮) - ニラ（英語表記）Allium tuberosum; Chinese chive

A perennial plant of the lily family. It is said to be native to western China, and has been cultivated in Japan since ancient times. It is unclear whether the plants growing wild in the mountains and fields are truly wild or feral. It is widely distributed in temperate Asia from Pakistan to Japan. The bulbs are small and wrapped in palm-like fibers, and have short rhizomes at the base. The leaves grow in bundles on the bulbs, are linear, flat, and blunt, 20-30 cm long, and the whole plant has an odor. In August and September, it produces a 30-50 cm flower stalk with many small white flowers in an umbel. The fruit is oblate and about 5 mm long. The seeds are black and called kyuushi (leek), and are used in Chinese medicine for urinary tract diseases. The flowers are pickled, and the leaves are used as food such as salads, stir-fries, and miso soup, and are widely used especially in Chinese cuisine. The characteristic odor is mainly caused by allyl sulfides. The English name leek refers to a type of chive, but the vegetable usually referred to by this name is a closely related species.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

ユリ科の多年草。中国西部原産といわれ，日本でも古代から栽培され，山野に自生しているものも真の野生か野生化したものか明らかでない。パキスタンから日本までアジア温帯に広く分布する。鱗茎は小さくシュロの毛のような繊維で包まれ，基部に短い根茎がつく。葉は鱗茎に数個束生し線形で平たく鈍頭，長さ 20～30cm，全草に臭気がある。8～9月頃，30～50cmの花茎を立て，白色の小花を散形に多数つける。果実は扁球形で長さ約 5mm。種子は黒色で韮子 (きゅうし) と呼ばれ，漢方では泌尿器系疾患に用いる。花は塩漬に，葉はあえ物，いため物，味噌汁など食用として，特に中国料理に広く利用される。特有の臭気は硫化アリル類が主成分。英名 leekはニラの類をさすが，通常この名で呼ばれる野菜は近縁の別種である。

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