Manuel Benitee
Silverskin Group Softneck – Non-bolting
This cultivar is originally from Cordoba in Spain and was imported to Australia from the USA by the AGIA in 1994. Loxton No: 36, CSIRO 135557. In TJ Meredith’s The Complete Book of Garlic, and Penny Woodward’s Garlic Manuel Benitee is placed in the Creole Group. But this cultivar, grown mainly in Tasmania very seldomly grows a scape and is probably better in the Silverskin Group. At one point Creoles and Silverskins were all classed in the one Group and they are quite closely related.
General Information
| International Names | 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 |
|
|---|---|
| Skin colour and texture |
|
Clove
| Number and layout | 12-15 cloves in two layers. |
|---|---|
| Size and shape |
|
| 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. |