Wild onions are in the allium family.  In the Ozarks, the leaves of wild onions emerge from the forest floor in mid to late March.  These are a highly coveted delicacy and considered a medicinal spring tonic by the indigenous peoples of this area.  All allium species are known to have antimicrobial activity, but these are primarily sought after for their strong yet welcome onion flavor.  In fact, the strong onion smell is one of the best ways to identify this plant.

When conducting a sniff test, be mindful that plant odors can linger on your fingers and a false positive ID is possible.  There is a very similar look-alike called false garlic.  While not harmful in small quantities, it doesn't smell or taste like garlic or onion at all.  False Garlic | Missouri Department of Conservation   (mo.gov)  Another plant that has spring greenery but is not an allium, but rather a lily is Star of Bethlehem.  This is more toxic - take care not to confuse this with wild onion.  (Star-of-Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum) (illinoiswildflowers.info)

Wild onions have flattened leaves that grow in small clusters atop a bulb.  Both the greens and the bulb smell of onion.  Each green leaf has a slight crease along its length.  The greens are a yellow-tinted green, unlike chives, which are a blue-green.  Chives emerge in the late fall, and by spring the tips of the greens are often dead and brown, whereas onions are new and the corresponding greens look bright and vibrant all the way to the tips.  Also, chives are a hollow tubular leaf, which is the easiest to identify distinction.  Also, the odor of chives is more garlic-like.

Onions are great eaten fresh or can be dried successfully - both the green tips or the chopped bulbs.

Rinse the bulbs well and trim the root hairs prior to eating.

Wild onions prefer to grow in damp bottomlands.  Be mindful of the quality and safety of any nearby water or grounds that they grow in for your own safety.

For more on identification and foraging, check out this short youtube video: