Garlic is a staple in kitchens globally, but its cultivation involves a distinction that often confuses home gardeners. This confusion frequently centers on the presence of the garlic scape, the unique, edible flowering stalk. Understanding the botanical difference between these two primary types is necessary to determine which will produce the scape. This article clarifies the structural and reproductive differences, focusing on the formation and absence of the scape.
Distinguishing Garlic Types and Scape Function
Garlic is broadly categorized into two main subspecies: Allium sativum var. ophioscorodon (hardneck) and Allium sativum var. sativum (softneck). Hardneck varieties are characterized by a stiff, central stalk that runs through the middle of the bulb, resulting in a less pliable neck after harvest. These types thrive in regions with cold winters, requiring a period of cold dormancy, called vernalization, to develop properly.
Conversely, softneck garlic lacks this stiff central stem, making its neck soft and flexible, which allows for traditional braiding. Softneck varieties are adaptable to a wider range of climates and are commonly found in grocery stores due to their long storage life. The scape is the tender, coiled flowering stalk that emerges from the center of the plant. If left on the plant, the scape straightens and produces an umbel containing tiny bulbils, which is the plant’s reproductive mechanism.
Why Softneck Varieties Do Not Produce Scapes
Softneck garlic varieties are botanically classified as non-bolting, meaning they do not naturally produce the stiff reproductive stem known as a scape. Their growth habit is to focus all available energy into developing the underground bulb, resulting in multiple, concentric layers of cloves surrounding a central, soft stem. This non-bolting nature is the primary reason the neck remains pliable for braiding and why they yield more cloves per bulb than hardneck types.
The absence of the scape also contributes to their superior storage life. The tight, multi-layered wrappers of softneck bulbs, combined with the lack of a central woody core, minimize moisture loss and prevent disease from entering the bulb over time.
Under extreme environmental stress, such as unusually cold winters in typically mild climates, some softneck plants may exhibit a weak form of bolting. In these rare instances, a rudimentary scape or small bulbils may form in the neck, but this is the exception, not the rule. For gardeners whose main goal is harvesting scapes for culinary use, planting hardneck varieties is the only reliable method.