Australian Garlic
Celebrating and understanding our garlic groups and cultivars
Manuel Benitee
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: Manuel Benitee NGPS Database No: W6-8414
Flavour: Hot and spicey.
Storage: Long for 12 months
Growing location: Grows well from Northern NSW to Tasmania. It will also grow in WA and does particularly well in SA.
Growing requirements: Doesn't do well if it is too wet, or too humid. Likes dry heat.
Planting and harvest: Mid season planting, mid to late season harvest.
Bulb
Shape: The bulb is 3.5-5.5 cm across with a round to oblong shape.
Skin colour and texture: Very white, thin, tissue-like transparent skin.
Clove
Number and layout: 12-15 cloves in two layers.
Size and shape: Cloves consist of 2 distinctive quarter-moon-shaped cloves in outer skins, with 10-13 inner cloves, ranging from three-sided wedge to flattened tall wedge. Short, weak clove tips.
Skin colour and texture: Dark, red-purple cloves with buff patching and streaks running up clove length. Clove skins are easily removed.
Plant
Size and shape: Small to medium, narrow and upright.
Leaves: Narrow, blue-green, quite vertical at only a narrow angle from the stem. Often only 6 leaves but may be 8-10.
Young plants: Slender and upright.
Matures: Slower and later maturing than some cultivars.
Scape: A very weakly bolting scape may appear if the plant is stressed by cold.
Umbel and beak: Do not usually appear
Bulbils and flowers: Do not usually appear.
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