Allium porrum

Allium porrum (puerro) — un miembro robusto y de sabor suave y dulce de la familia de la cebolla que aguanta todo el invierno; apreciado por los romanos y emblema de Gales. El hogar botánico de nuestra gama de puerros.

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Allium porrum — the leek

Allium porrum is the botanical name for the leek, a hardy biennial in the onion family grown for its sweet, mild blanched stem. It is the species behind our leek range within the bulb vegetable collection, a milder cousin of the onion.

History & origin

The leek has been cultivated since antiquity around the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East. The ancient Egyptians grew it, and the Romans were devoted to it — the Emperor Nero supposedly ate so many leeks to improve his voice that he earned the nickname “Porophagus,” the leek-eater. The leek is also the national emblem of Wales, said to have been worn by Welsh soldiers to tell friend from foe in battle.

Its name is straightforward: Allium is the Latin for the onion family and porrum the Latin for leek.

Botanical characteristics

Unlike the onion, the leek forms no bulb; instead it builds a thick column of tightly wrapped leaf bases, blanched white by earthing up. It is one of the hardiest vegetables of all, standing through hard frost to give fresh harvests right through winter when little else is growing. It sits alongside onions and the rest of the family in our bulb vegetables and the wider root veg range.

Growing Allium porrum from seed

Leeks need a long season, so sow early in the year in a seedbed or in modules. Transplant the young plants into deep holes to blanch the stems, water them in, and earth up as they grow for more sweet white shaft. Then simply lift them through autumn and winter as you need them. Our vegetable sowing calendar and soil guide cover the timing and ground prep.

Ready to grow leeks? Browse the varieties or learn the basics first.

Related categories: Leek · Onion · Bulb Vegetables · Root Vegetables · All Vegetables

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Preguntas frecuentes

¿Qué es Allium porrum?
Es el nombre botánico del puerro, una bienal resistente de la familia de la cebolla.

¿De dónde son originarios los puerros?
Del Mediterráneo oriental y Oriente Medio, donde se cultivan desde la Antigüedad.

¿Para qué se aporcan los puerros?
Para blanquear un tallo blanco más largo y dulce al evitar que le llegue la luz.

¿Son resistentes al frío los puerros?
Mucho — aguantan heladas intensas, ofreciendo cosechas frescas durante todo el invierno.

¿Cómo cultivo puerros desde semilla?
Siembra temprano, trasplanta las plantas jóvenes en hoyos profundos, aporca y recoge durante el invierno según sea necesario.