340 Handbook of herbs and spices
19.3 Cultivation and production.............................................................
19.3.1 Botany and morphology
Chives are a perennial plant cultivated as a biennial. However, the productive growth
cycle is commonly completed within a year. Based on molecular data, chives belong
to the subgenus Rhizideum (Hanelt et al., 1992). Bulbs are oval shaped and often
clumped together. The skin of the bulbs has a grayish brown colour, with yellow or
purplish tints, and the texture of carton paper. The development of elongated rhizomes
and of false bulbs are advanced character states (synapomorphies), usually clustered,
ovoid-cylindric, 0.5–1 cm in diameter; tunic brown or tinged with yellow, papery,
laciniate, sometimes fibrous at apex. The leaves grow in clumps of 2–5, slightly
shorter then scape, 2–6 mm wide, terete, fistulose, smooth or scabrous denticulate.
Chives branching results from where lateral initiation occurs after the development
of every two or three leaves (Poulson, 1990), and thus plants develop clusters of
shoots. Scape 10–50 (60) cm, terete, covered with leaf sheaths for 1/3–1/2 its length,
smooth or scabrous-denticulate (Xu and Kamelin, 2000).
After seeding, chives flower in the second year and each year afterwards. The long
and thin flower scape is cylindrical in shape, hollow and smooth. Umbel subglobose,
are densely flowered. The perianth is purple-red to white (or pale pink), tepal twice
the length of filaments; polymorphous spices. Six needle shaped petals are of the
same height. The pistil does not protrude out of the petals. (Xu and Kamelin, 2001).
The flowers do not produce much pollen and seldom produce viable seeds. Chives
are generally an out-crosser, and flowers are insect pollinated, but selfing frequently
occurs as well (Rubatzky and Yamaguchi, 1997). Chives can be cultivated from seeds
or from division.
Wild chives are confined mainly to mexerophytic habitats; meadows, forests and
high mountain zones (Hanelt et al., 1992). Wild chives grow continuously all year
round with no apparent dormant stage, and low winter temperatures only slow this
down (Cheremushkina, 1985, 1992; Pistrick, 1992). Chives exhibit a monopodial
growth habit, and only become sympodial after the formation of the first generative
meristem. Thereafter, Allium plants produce renewal bulbs and flowers every year
(Kamenetsky, and Rabinowitch, 2002). Temperatures play the most important role in
normal scape elongation and flowering of Allium plants, although light conditions
can markedly affect this process. Flowering usually does not occur if temperatures
Fig. 19.1 Chive field.