(species Allium cepa and A. oschaninii), mildly aromatic herb of the family Alliaceae or its bulbs, which are used like onions to flavour foods, particularly meats and sauces. The shallot is a hardy, bulbous perennial that is closely related to onion and garlic and is probably of Asiatic origin. Its leaves are short, small, cylindrical, and hollow. The flowers are lavender or red, in a compact umbel. The bulbs are small, elongated, and angular and develop in clusters on a common base, much like the garlic plant. The bulbs are less than 5 cm (2 inches) long and about 2.5 cm in diameter; they are mild in flavour. The plant's leaves are also sometimes eaten when green. Shallots are planted early in spring and grow in any good garden soil; the bulbs are harvested in the autumn. The so-called shallot that is marketed extensively as green spring onions is in fact a form of onion.