Herb garden and kitchen · Allium schoenoprasum
Chives: look, smell and learn
Green tubes and purple flower balls: the pair discover chives together.
The short answer
Chives have long narrow hollow leaves and often round purple flower heads. Verified kitchen chives have a mild onion flavour. Hollow means there is a small air space inside the leaf.
An imagined Wusel scene
Puschel and Flauschi investigate
Puschel“Green drinking straws!” Puschel marvels. Flauschi looks at the flowers. Flauschi“They are leaves. We certainly do not use them as straws.”
Puschel studies the narrow leaves again. Puschel“Hollow inside, but not a drinking straw,” he remembers. Flauschi thinks of a dip with washed chives. The plant stays in its pot; they will decide about cutting it later with adults.
What it looks like
Long, narrow, hollow leaves and often round purple flower heads.
Scent and cooking
Mild onion flavour; snip onto bread or into a dip.
How it grows
Sun or partial shade; do not let the soil dry out.
Little Wusel quiz
Why does Puschel compare chive leaves to drinking straws?
Show answer
They are long, narrow and hollow inside. They are plant leaves, not drinking straws.
Explore in more detail
Here you will find longer explanations and further details. You can explore them together.
Why do new tubes grow after cutting?
The green tubes are hollow leaves. Chives have small bulbs and buds at their base from which new growth can develop. A healthy plant can therefore produce more leaves after moderate harvesting. A bulb is a storage organ, not a single seed.
Compare and understand
With an adult, watch a clearly labelled kitchen pot over several days. Do not cut into the base or pull roots out. The purple flower heads contain many small flowers. Leaves and flowers are different plant parts even though they grow from the same plant.