The tree onion (Allium × proliferum) are a perennial crop, meaning they will continue to grow year after year. It is related to the common onion (A. cepa), but with a cluster of bulblets where a normal onion would have flowers.

Tree onions are also known as topsetting onions, walking onions, or Egyptian onions.

Tree onion bulblets will sprout and grow while still on the original stalk. The bulblets are usually marble-sized, between 0.5 cm to 3 cm in diameter. They may bend down under the weight of the new growth and take root some distance from the parent plant, giving rise to the name "walking onion". It has been postulated that the name "Egyptian onion" derived from Romani people bringing tree onions to Europe from the Indian subcontinent. The phenomenon of forming bulblets (bulbils) instead of flowers is also seen in top-setting garlic and other alliums, which sometimes may also be referred to as top onions or tree onions.

• • Although rarely used specifically as a medicinal herb, the onion has a wide range of beneficial actions on the body and when eaten (especially raw) on a regular basis will promote the general health of the body.

  • The bulb is anthelmintic, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antispasmodic, carminative, diuretic, expectorant, febrifuge, hypoglycaemic, hypotensive, lithontripic, stomachic and tonic.

  • When used regularly in the diet it offsets tendencies towards angina, arteriosclerosis and heart attack.

  • It is also useful in preventing oral infection and tooth decay.

  • Baked onions can be used as a poultice to remove pus from sores.

  • Fresh onion juice is a very useful first aid treatment for bee and wasp stings, bites, grazes or fungal skin complaints.

  • When warmed the juice can be dropped into the ear to treat earache.

  • It also aids the formation of scar tissue on wounds, thus speeding up the healing process.

There are many versatile uses of tree onion stems and bulbs, which possess a strong, "hot" taste and should be used sparingly in cooking.

Create a potent plant spray by combining them with jalapeno pepper, liquid dish soap, and water, to effectively repel pests like aphids, cucumber beetles, and squash bugs. This spray is also effective as a moth repellent and as a skin rub to ward off insects. Additionally, the juice of the plant can prevent rust on metals and shine copper and glass surfaces, while the skins of the bulbs can produce a yellow-brown dye. Rubbing the juice onto the skin can promote hair growth and reduce freckles.

The growing plant itself is known to repel insects and moles, and a spray made with boiled, unpeeled onions can improve the resistance of other plants to diseases and parasites. 

The onions spread readily and are easy to grow. They prefer a free draining soil in partial shade to full sun.

For more information you can visit the PFAF (plants for a future) website here.

1 well rooted bulb in a 0.5 liter pot.