You might be familiar with these common allium species used in kitchens, such as onions, garlic, shallots, leeks and chives, but many beautiful ornamental alliums also exist on our planet. 

An allium garden in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province has recently been opened to the public. And the garden marks the fifth anniversary of a joint allium research project between China and Uzbekistan.

The Kunming Center of the China-Uzbekistan Global Allium Garden was launched in 2018 to collect, conserve and exhibit allium, as well as support allium research, utilization and public education.

Recently, scientists from both countries gathered in the city to mark the project's fifth anniversary and discuss biodiversity protection.

"Allium is useful in both medicine and food. Of course, their flowers are also quite beautiful. They also stand out in horticulture and attract attention among our society and people," said Sun Hang, Director of the Kunming Institute of Botany.

The project was jointly launched by the Kunming Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Institute of Botany at the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan.

The natural landscape of Central and Southeastern Asia has played an increasingly global role in preserving the unique gene pool of botanical species. 

"There are probably over 600 species of alliums worldwide. Uzbekistan is an important center for the distribution and origin of alliums and is also one of the earliest countries to utilize them. Our country also has a very rich resource of alliums," said Sun.

A sister garden was established in Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan, in 2019.

"We started to think about how to conserve this plant diversity, how to study it. Now our botany center is a very good scientific platform for conservation, for new plant study research," said Tojibaev Komiljon, a researcher from the Institute of Botany, Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Scientists noted that climate change and human activities are threatening some allium species.

"The loss of this plant resource is very serious. Among these 600 species of alliums, there is a great potential for other use. But some types of allium may disappear before we have a chance to study them," said Sun.

The two countries are jointly dedicated to the collection, protection and scientific study of allium.

"Allium is an economically very important and very famous plant species. Today, as Professor Sun has said, no allium, no delicious food. And beside this, allium is part of local biodiversity both in China and in Uzbekistan. That's why many scientists want to study allium species," said Komiljon.

(Cover image via CFP)

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