Turban Group
Hardneck – Weakly Bolting
Most of the hardneck garlics grown in Australia fall into this Group. Many cultivars have been given names by their growers and may actually be the same as other cultivars with different names so there are very many cultivars in the Turban Group. In Australia there are perhaps only 10 or a few more different Turban cultivars confusingly grown under many different names. Many Turban cultivars have been misnamed and/or wrongly identified as belonging in the Rocambole or Purple Stripe. Its also possible that some cultivars assumed to be in the Turban Group should more properly be placed in the Asiatic Group. This should be sorted out once the cultivars are grown across some different climates and the scape and umbel development closely observed.
General Information
| Flavour |
Hot when raw, milder cooked with pleasant flavour and aroma. Some with very good flavour. |
| Storage |
Short to medium. |
| Growing location |
Can be found in all growing locations in Australia from Southern Queensland to Southern Tasmania, all parts of SA and mid and southern WA. |
| Growing requirements |
Cold to mild winters, warm to hot spring and summers. Will tolerate some humidity. |
| Planting and harvest |
Early. Mature suddenly so harvest quickly. |
Bulb
| Shape |
Large usually flattened globe.
|
| Skin colour and texture |
Heavily purple striped or blotched skins that split easily and whiten during storage.
|
Clove
| Number and layout |
7-11 some in one layer although may have internal cloves often with some from each layer in a second skin.
|
| Size and shape |
Large, plump and blunt tipped.
|
| Skin colour and texture |
Glossy bronze to pink, purple, occasionally white. Easy to peel.
|
Plant
| Size and shape |
Small and floppy to strong and upright, depending on climate and cultivar. Up to 1.1m.
|
| Leaves |
Medium green, well spaced up the pseudostem. Fold in middle. Often 10-12.
|
| Young plants |
Fast to sprout and grow.
|
| Matures |
Early. Goes from being almost ready to past ready in a couple of weeks.
|
| Scape |
Weakly bolting. Slender, hollow when cured. Upside down U, some curl more or are strong gooseneck. Appears late in growth cycle.
|
| Umbel and beak |
Flattened turban shape, variable but usually long beak.
|
| Bulbils and flowers |
Small to medium bulbils, purple, often more than 50.
No or few flowers.
|
