Chives grow in clumps, with their round, hollow, grass-like leaves reaching a height of 9 inches or so. The stems are firm, straight, smooth, and, like the leaves, bright dark green. The flowers, which bloom for two months in midsummer, form round deep purple or pink globes that make an attractive garnish.

20 seeds

Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) are the smallest species of the onion family Alliaceae, native to Europe, Asia and North America. They are referred to only in the plural, because they grow in clumps rather than as individual plants. Allium schoenoprasum is also the only species of Allium native to both the New and the Old World.

Its species name derives from the Greek skhoinos (sedge) and prason (onion). Its English name, chive, derives from the French word cive, which was derived from cepa, the Latin word for onion.