These garlic strains took a long time to track down. Asiatic bulbs size very well without removal of the flower stalk which is usually short and drooping rather coiled or curled. The bulbil capsule is long and wrinkled like a dried bean pod. Bulbil capsules contain only a few large bulbils, dark purple in color. Bulbs have a tendency to be striped with fine lines that run from top to bottom.
Cloves are very firm and plump.
Clove skins are thick and semi-glossy, peeling like Artichokes and storing about the same time. Asiatic garlics mature very suddenly, just ahead of other Artichokes. They should be harvested just as soon as leaves begin to brown. Turban Group Variety Artichoke Turbans are closely related to Asiatics, being a subgroup of the Artichoke variety. They are weak bolting garlics, and earlier maturing than any other garlic.