Allium sativum (single-clove form) Seeds | Non-splitting Garlic
LATIN NAME: Allium sativum (single-clove form)
COMMON NAME: Non-Splitting Garlic
Plant Profile
Known to gardeners as Non-Splitting Garlic, Allium sativum (single-clove form) is a low, hardy bulb in the onion family (Amaryllidaceae). Most garlic heads split into many cloves, but this one does not bother. Beneath ground it forms a single, plump, round bulb, with no division into separate cloves, and that is the whole point of it. It is a form of common garlic, a species of flowering bulb in onion family, grown across temperate world, and it is known as non-splitting garlic or round garlic. Bees find the flowers quickly, and that pollinator traffic is a garden benefit in its own right. Few species give back so generously for so little effort.
Science & Biotechnology
The species features in the wider study of the onion family, and its traits make it a useful subject for work on germination biology, cultivation and ornamental selection. Garlic has been studied for its strong, pungent chemistry, and compounds that give bulb its sharp bite and its keeping qualities have been looked at by researchers of natural products. Continuing work by breeders and collectors keeps good seed of this species moving through the trade.
Uses & Benefits
Gardeners value Non-Splitting Garlic for its ornamental character, and the plant also fits naturally into herb, vegetable and cutting gardens. In kitchen non-splitting garlic is a handy thing. Single, plump bulb is peeled and used as one piece, and its flavour is a little milder and simpler than cloved garlic, which makes it easy in the cooking. Round, dense heads of small flowers feed bees of early summer, and flat, grey-green leaves give a neat, upright look to herb bed. In later seasons it demands little more than an appreciative eye.
The onion family is one of the great medicinal plant groups: garlic, onions, leeks and their kin supply sulfur compounds such as allicin that have been studied extensively for cardiovascular and antimicrobial effects. Regular allium consumption is associated with several benefits in population studies, and garlic remains one of the world’s best-selling herbal supplements.
Growing from Seed
Starting Non-Splitting Garlic from seed is simple and satisfying. Sow evenly over the surface and cover lightly into a loose, well-drained seed compost, water in gently, and keep the sowing in bright light with steady moisture. When the young plants are big enough to handle, space them into pots or a nursery row and let them size up before their final move.
Our Take
Its long record of traditional use, described above, gives the plant a story beyond ornament. Given the right start, Non-Splitting Garlic is a long-term garden companion. Moisture matters most while plants are young; established plants cope with far more.
Related Reading
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