Florida Summer Flowers

Florida Summer Flowers Biography
Allium sativum is a bulbous plant. It grows up to 0.5 m (2 ft) in height. Its hardiness is USDA Zone 8. It produces hermaphrodite flowers. Pollination occurs by insects and bees.
[edit]Origin and major types
Flower headBulbils
According to Zohary and Hopf,[5] "A difficulty in the identification of its wild progenitor is the sterility of the cultivars", though it is thought to be descended from the species Allium longicuspis, which grows wild in central and southwestern Asia.[6][dead link][7] Allium sativum grows in the wild in areas where it has become naturalized. The "wild garlic", "crow garlic", and "field garlic" of Britain are members of the species Allium ursinum, Allium vineale, and Allium oleraceum, respectively. In North America, Allium vineale (known as "wild garlic" or "crow garlic") and Allium canadense, known as "meadow garlic" or "wild garlic" and "wild onion", are common weeds in fields.[8] One of the best-known "garlics", the so-called elephant garlic, is actually a wild leek (Allium ampeloprasum), and not a true garlic. Single clove garlic (also called pearl or solo garlic) originated in the Yunnan province of China.
[edit]European garlic
Italian garlic PDO (Aglio Bianco Polesano)
There are a number of garlics with Protected Geographical Status in Europe; these include:
Aglio Rosso di Nubia (Red Garlic of Nubia) from Nubia-Paceco, Provincia di Trapani, Sicily, Italy
Aglio Bianco Polesano from Veneto, Italy (PDO)
Aglio di Voghiera from Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna, Italy (PDO)
Ail blanc de Lomagne from Lomagne in the Gascony area of France (PGI)
Ail de la Drôme from Drôme in France (PGI)
Ail rose de Lautrec a rose/pink garlic from Lautrec in France (PGI)
Ajo Morado de las Pedroñeras a rose/pink garlic from Las Pedroñeras in Spain (PGI)
[edit]Varieties

Within the species, Allium sativum, there are also two main subspecies[9] or varieties.[10]
Allium sativum var. ophioscorodon (Link) Döll, called Ophioscorodon, or hard necked garlic, includes porcelain garlics, rocambole garlic, and purple stripe garlics. It is sometimes considered to be a separate species, Allium ophioscorodon G.Don.
Allium sativum var. sativum, or soft-necked garlic, includes artichoke garlic, silverskin garlic, and creole garlic.
Bulb garlic is available in many forms, including fresh, frozen, dried, fermented (black garlic) and shelf stable products (in tubes or jars). In addition, see Culinary uses for other edible parts of the garlic plant.
[edit]Cultivation
Garlic is easy to grow and can be grown year-round in mild climates. While sexual propagation of garlic is indeed possible, nearly all of the garlic in cultivation is propagated asexually, by planting individual cloves in the ground.[6] In cold climates, cloves are planted in the fall, about six weeks before the soil freezes, and harvested in late spring.[11] Garlic plants are usually very hardy, and are not attacked by many pests or diseases. Garlic plants are said to repel rabbits and moles.[2] Two of the major pathogens that attack garlic are nematodes and white rot disease, which remain in the soil indefinitely after the ground has become infected.[6] Garlic also can suffer from pink root, a typically nonfatal disease that stunts the roots and turns them pink or red.[12]
Garlic plants can be grown closely together, leaving enough space for the bulbs to mature, and are easily grown in containers of sufficient depth. When selecting garlic for planting, it is important to pick large heads from which to separate cloves. Large cloves, along with proper spacing in the planting bed, will also improve head size. Garlic plants prefer to grow in a soil with a high organic material content, but are capable of growing in a wide range of soil conditions and pH levels.[6]
There are different types or subspecies of garlic, most notably hardneck garlic and softneck garlic. The latitude where the garlic is grown affects the choice of type as garlic can be day-length sensitive. Hardneck garlic is generally grown in cooler climates; softneck garlic is generally grown closer to the equator.[13][14]
Garlic scapes are removed to focus all the garlic's energy into bulb growth. The scapes can be eaten raw or cooked.[11][15]
Garlic output in 2005
Garlic is grown globally, but China is by far the largest producer of garlic, with approximately 10.5 million tonnes (23 billion pounds) grown annually, accounting for over 77% of world output. India (4.1%) and South Korea (2%) follow, with Egypt and Russia (1.6%) tied in fourth place and the United States (where garlic is grown in every state except for Alaska) in sixth place (1.4%).[16] This leaves 16% of global garlic production in countries that each produce less than 2% of global output. Much of the garlic production in the United States is centered in Gilroy, California, which calls itself the "garlic capital of the world".[17]

Florida Summer Flowers

Florida Summer Flowers

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Florida Summer Flowers

Florida Summer Flowers

Florida Summer Flowers

Florida Summer Flowers

Florida Summer Flowers

Florida Summer Flowers

Florida Summer Flowers

Florida Summer Flowers

Florida Summer Flowers

Florida Summer Flowers

Florida Summer Flowers

Florida Summer Flowers

Florida Summer Flowers

Florida Summer Flowers