I'm finding out that most of the good onions are unnamed. I would love to trade some dividing onions for some of those lovely top setters. They do look just like the Catawissa's that I have seen. Except the bulblets appear a hair smaller and there are a lot more bublets. It looks to me like you have one of the better strains of Catawissa. It definitely matches the description of a Tree Onion. How is the taste?
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/o/onitre09.html
Bob

The bulbs of Egyptian walking onions are smaller than the Catawissa. Catawissa bubils tend to be more brown in color and Egyptian onions tend to be more red. They look like Egyptian walking onions to me.

My egyptians all have stocky scapes, and my catawissas have taller but more slender scapes like the ones in the photo. But I will have to admit to limited knowledge. I just recently got Red Egyptians and they have not yet made a scape. Even then, I have found a bunch of words that describe alliums that have very different meanings to different folk, Here is what my Egyptians look like:
{{gwi:361686}}
{{gwi:361688}}
The Scapes are about 2" in diameter.
Bob

Hi Richlyn,
It seems to me that you onion have flat leaves, whereas Egytian and Catawissa have round hollow leaves. I also notice the rather big flowers. Sorry I can't do the Id for you. But I should definitely like to have a few topbulbs, as I looks very attractive in my eyes.
Bobs (negi) Egyptian have the right kind of leaves, round and hollow, but I don't see the topsets. Anyway it definitely belong to the Allium cepa group, including onion, shallots, potato onion and most of the Egyptians and Catawissa (some of the last two are a cross between Allium cepa and Allium fistulosum.
Hope somebody else can do the Id.
Sören.

Have you though about contacting an organization like Seed Savers Exchange? Maybe you have some lost variety that is being sought after.

Richlyn has Egyptians, one of the taller strains. There are possibly a dozen isolated strains with the main difference being overall height and bulb color. Negi's "Egyptians" doesn't look like any Egyptians with that big "blossom". Negi's Catawissas are probably Egyptians if they look like Richlyn's. Catawissas have two tiers of topsets, not one, and the bulbils don't have the "Medusa head" snake tails of true Egyptians.

Martin

Most edible allims will cross breed and insects will move pollen around. Humans have been growing onions for a long time. Most contries import tons of onions and export tons of onions. It is only recent that breeding programs have actually kept onion varieties reasonably pure. Anyone who has bought sets of onions has seen the not so rare variation in the set. So the truth is that we rarely have pure onions. It is possible to keep vegetatively reproducing onions pure, however mutation and adaption still occour, and at a faster rate than most people have been led to expect. The vegatatively reproducing onions have been classically grouped as A. cepa var. viviparum (topsetting) and A. cepa var. proliferum (root propagation.) Prokhanov and Helm concluded that all prolierous forms should belong to A. fistulosum. Originally the different species were defined by flower shapes and the forms of the leaf and scape cross section were used as supporting data. It has been observed that agricultural cepa's have been bred to each other and produced offspring with vegetative reproduction.
Because topset onions are considered 'homegarden' much less research has been done on these varieties. Catawissa Onions are a strain of Egyptian Onion that appeared in Catawissa PA. In 1885, Vilmorin-Andrieux described it as 2.5 feet tall, large leafed, with reddish brown sets and the unique habit of producing topsets out of topsets. Since we have had years for mutation, crossbreeding, and new varieties to sprout, I suspect that the best way to identify a 'Catawissa' is to look for Multilayer topsets. As far as a 'True Catawissa' my experience has led me to instead look for a lovely, tasty and healthy Catawissa.
Richlyn71 definitly has the qualities that have been classically described as a Egyptian Tree Onion, ie. it makes topsets. It looks simular to many of the pictures of Catawissa onions that are sold on the web, although the oldest definitions mention a large leaf. In any case Richlyn has a very nice onion, and I would love to obtain some topsets if Richlyn is amiable to some sort of exchange.
Bob

Hi all, sorry I have not been on the web for a time. I will take more pictures tomorrow as they are in full (beautiful) bloom and dig a few up and take close up pics from top to bottom with measurements. I am curious to know where this variety actually came from, but I don't know If will ever know being that my Grandfather passed away in 87'. He grew the best vegetable garden that I have ever seen. These Egyptians are the only thing left from his original garden. After I find out more info on them I will be willing to do trades with anyone interested. I grow alot of different plants and I like to be certian the real name and origin before turning them loose. Send me an email and I will get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks, Richard

The taste is strong but good. So this could be Allium cepa var proliferum? Sure wish I knew where they were bought and then trace from there.

Richlyn's topsetter has much slenderer stalks than mine, and the topsets are generally smaller and more consistent in size.

Negi's photo certainly looks just like an ordinary seed-grown bulb onion going to seed.

I have some photos, but can anyone tell me how to get them from 'my pictures' to this webpage?

pnbrown, go to photobucket and upload your pics there. That seems to be the best for me.

Thanks, I was able to upload them to phtobckt but not from there to here. Oh well.

I went to the USDA website where they have an excellent classifcation list of alliums, with photos. Just a couple that I looked at had flowers very similar to yours.

Interestingly, allium cepa L. viviparum and bulbiferum are listed as noxious weeds! May all weeds be so useful.

I inherited Catawisas with my property, thinking them to be "Egyptian"; I have only recently learned the distinction. In my northern climate, they are the first welcome taste of the new year.

While I have seen photos of the true Egyptian onions, this seems to be an especially attractive strain.

Hi again.
After consulting google for pictures, it seems to me richlyn have a redcolores for of Allium canadense L. var canadense. Have a look for yourself.

Sören.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:361676}}

Those are lovely specimens! I sent you an email, sorry if a duplicate.