Buy your garlic in bulk,all species,first gradeSkype:cam.exgro/646) 397-3209/email Formerly classified in the lily (Liliaceae) family, garlic, Allium sativum, is now a member of the family Alliaceae andincludes two basic types (hardneck and softneck) and threerecognized varieties. Hardneck garlics, which include A.sativum var. ophioscorodon and A. sativum var. pekinense,are characterized by hard, woody central stalks that extend down to the basal plate at thebottom of the bulb. They send up a flower stalk (scape) and umbel covered by a pointedspathe. In the A. sativum var. ophioscorodon variety, the scape curls or loops. The umbelcontains a cluster of greenish-white or pink flowers from which aerial cloves called bulbilsdevelop. Bulbils are generally smaller than cloves but, like cloves, can vary in size andnumber.Softneck garlics have a non-woody pseudostem formed from overlapping leaf sheaths andrarely send up a flower stalk, unless stressed by climatic conditions. If you've purchasedgarlic at the grocery store it was probably a softneck cultivar, since softnecks make up themajority of the U.S. commercial crop.Garlic plants have 6-12 flat, narrow leaves and can reach from just under 10 inches to over6 feet in height. Bulbs can range in size from 1.5 to 3 inches in diameter depending onvariety and cultivar and can have from 4-60 cloves of various shapes and sizes.
