garlic, (Allium sativum),perennialplant of the amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae), grown for its flavourfulbulbs. The plant is native to centralAsia but grows wild in Italy and southern France and is a classic ingredient in many national cuisines. The bulbs have a powerful onionlike aroma and pungent taste and are not usually eaten raw.

Garlic plants grow about 60 cm (2 feet) tall. Depending on the variety, the longleaves typically arise from a short hard stem above the bulb or emerge from a softer pseudostem made up of overlapping leaf sheaths. The bulb is covered with membranous skin and encloses up to 20 edible bulblets called cloves. The spherical flower cluster is initially enclosed in a pair of papery tapered bracts; the bracts split open when the green-white or pinkishflowers bloom. Flower stalks sometimes arise bearing tiny bulbils (tiny secondary bulbs that form in place of flowers) and sterile blossoms. Garlic is usually grown as an annual crop and is propagated by planting cloves or top bulbils, though seeds can be also be used.