A Bit Of Whimsy
by Geri Glavis
Title
A Bit Of Whimsy
Artist
Geri Glavis
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Purple chives photographed by Geri Glavis at Reynolda Gardens in Winston Salem, North Carolina.
Chives is the common name of Allium schoenoprasum, the smallest species of the edible onions.[1] A perennial plant, it is native to Europe, Asia and North America.[2] A. schoenoprasum is the only species of Allium native to both the New and the Old Worlds.
The name of the species derives from the Greek skho�nos (sedge) and pr�son (leek).[3] Its English name, chives, derives from the French word cive, from cepa, the Latin word for onion.[4]
Chives are a commonly used herb and can be found in grocery stores or grown in home gardens. In culinary use, the scapes are diced and used as an ingredient for fish, potatoes, soups, and other dishes. Chives have insect-repelling properties that can be used in gardens to control pests.
Chives have been cultivated in Europe since the Middle Ages (5th until the 15th centuries), although their usage dates back 5000 years.[4] They were sometimes referred to as "rush leeks" (from the Greek schoinos meaning rush and prason meaning leek).
The Romans believed chives could relieve the pain from sunburn or a sore throat. They believed eating chives could increase blood pressure and act as a diuretic.[23]
Romanian Gypsies have used chives in fortune telling.[19] It was believed that bunches of dried chives hung around a house would ward off disease and evil.[19]
Uploaded
June 1st, 2013
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