Galapagos Species Database
The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.
Allium cepa
cebolla paiteña, garden onion
Bulb simple, to at least 15 cm wide, broadly ovoid to oblate. Leaves to ca. 2 cm wide, cylindrical, hollow. I escape until ca. 120 cm, inflated. Flowers whitish to pink (WFO, 2022).
It is has environmental uses and social uses, as animal food, a poison and a medicine and for food (POWO, 2022).
Domain
Eukaryota
Kingdom
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Class
Liliopsida (= Monocotyledoneae)
Order
Asparagales
Family
Amaryllidaceae
Genus
Allium
Species
cepa
Taxon category: Accepted
Origin: Introduced - established
Year of first record: 1986
Mode of introduction: Intentional
Introduction Pathway: Intentional
Subpathway: Agriculture/Horticulture
Introduced status: Human dependent
Invasive status: Unlikely to become invasive
Map of specimen collection localities or observation records for this species in our collections database.
Distribution: Its native range is a cultigen from Central Asia (POWO, 2022).
- Chavez, J. (1993) Diagnostico de la Agricultura y la Ganader¡a en la Provincia de Galapagos. Tesis.
- Chen, J. Craven, L.A. (2007) Flora of China. Flora of China 13: 321–328. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=10599
- CONABIO (2009) Catálogo taxonómico de especies de México. Cap. nat. México 1.
- Flores, E. (1985) Censo de Plantas Introducidas desde el Canal de Itabaca hasta Puerto Ayora. Tesis de Ingeniero Forestal, Univ. Técnica Luis Vargas Torres, Esmeraldas: 1-132.
- Guézou, A. Trueman, M., Buddenhagen, E., Chamorro, S., Guerrero, A.M., Pozo, P., Atkinson, R. (2010) An extensive Alien Plan Inventory from the Inhabited Areas of Galapagos Plos One/ www.plosone.org. Volume 5/ Issue 4/e10276
- Lawesson, J.E. (1987) Plantas exóticas en las Islas Galápagos, un resumen. Memorias. Taller sobre investigación Botánica y manejo en Galápagos. Pg. 17-23.
- Reck, G. (1986) Personal notes from Bellavista agricultural fair, Feb 1986.
- Stevens, W.D. Ulloa, C., Pool, A., & Montiel, O.M. (2001) Flora de Nicaragua. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 85: i–xlii, 1–2666.
- Tropicos.org. (2017) Database of Missouri Botanical Garden. Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden. 06 Oct 2017 <http://www.tropicos.org
You are welcome to download and use the information found in this page, acknowledging its source.
This page should be cited as follows:
"Galapagos Species Database, Allium cepa", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=1001. Accessed 3 November 2026.