Garlic chives (Allium tuberosum) , also known as garlic chives, Oriental garlic, Asian chives, Chinese chives, Chinese leek, is scientifically classified as Kingdom: Plantae Clade: Angiosperms Clade: Monocots Order: Asparagales Family: Amaryllidaceae Subfamily: Allioideae Genus: Allium Species: A. tuberosum.

Its scientific name of Allium tuberosum is indicative of its oniony roots and falls among the family Liliaceae. Unlike onions or other types of garlic, however, the fibrous bulb is not edible but is grown rather for its flowers and stems. It is easy to differentiate between onion chives and garlic chives. Garlic chives have a flat, grass-like leaf, not a hollow one as do onion chives. They grow between 12 to 15 inches tall.