Australian Garlic
Celebrating and understanding our garlic groups and cultivars
Australian White
Softneck - Non-bolting
This cultivar falls into the Artichoke Group, Type 2 and shares its evolution with others in this sub-group from Formosan to Taiwanese and Taiwanese Purple. Long time grower Roger Schmitke selected bulbs from this heritage that produced larger bulbs and cloves then other cultivars grown in the 80s and 90s. These went to Queensland’s Gatton Research Station and over a 6 year period they were grown and selected and replanted, selecting only the biggest and best bulbs and cloves. In 1997 Southern Glen named and released.  See the Production of Garlic here
This day-length neutral cultivar is a very important cultivar for growers in warmer more northern regions.
General Information
International name/s: None, this is an Australian cultivar
Flavour: Mild, simple, vegetative, not complex
Storage: Medium to long.
Growing location: Mainly grown in northern SA and Victoria, Southern NSW. But also southern Victoria, Tasmania and WA.
Growing requirements: Cold temperate climate, cold winters, warm spring, hot dry summer.
Planting and harvest: Mid season
Bulb
Shape: Flat to teardrop shaped, 6-7 cm with convex base.
Skin colour and texture: Coarse white skins, sometimes with purple blotches.
Clove
Number and layout: 10-14 in two layers.
Size and shape: Larger flat outer cloves with concave inner surface, 2-3 cm tall x 2 cm wide. Taller, smaller more slender inner cloves. Note the two larger flatter cloves in the picture below.
Skin colour and texture: Tan and pale pink to white, fine tight skins that can be difficult to peel.
Plant
Size and shape: Short, wide and spreading.
Leaves: Broad, pale to yellow green leaves at 45° to pseudostem. Fold in middle.
Young plants: Germinates readily, plants grow quickly and resemble adult plants.
Matures: Usually mid-season.
Scape: None
Umbel and beak: None
Bulbils and flowers: May very occasionally produce bulbils in the pseudostem in colder climates.
Artichoke Group
Silverskin Group
Subtropical Group
Asiatic Group
Creole Group
Middle Eastern Group
Turban Group
- Flinders Island Purple
- Glamour
- Italian Purple
- Monaro Purple
- Ontos Purple
- Shandong
- Tasmanian Purple
- White Crookneck
- Xian