It's a really long story but in short, each clove has a bud that forms at least a leaf, some leaves form cloves and some don't and just wrap some cloves I think. Cloves are actually swollen leaves...

Here, this may help, from the book Growing Great Garlic:

"A common misconception, even among garlic growers, is that a large solid bulb grows and then divides into cloves right befor harvest. Actually, tiny vegetative buds occur on the surface of the true stem [the 'true stem' is entirely below ground and almost flat as a pancake-korney19, from the book] at the base of the inner leaves. Some of the buds are fertile (another strange term, since they never actually get fertilized). Specialized leaves swell into cloves around each fertile bud in mid-spring in order to nourish and protect the bud through its period of rest and during its early growth. Notice that I said 'period of rest.' Most people assume garlic bulbs lie "dormant" until they're planted, but acording to botanists, they only 'rest.'"

and...

"Well ten thousand years of outrageous misfortune are enough. Despite stems that aren't really stems, flower stalks without noticeable flowers, cloves that are really leaves (or bulbs or fleshy scales--whatever), fertile buds that are never fertilized (so how did they get fertile?), and a plant that never dies no matter how old it gets, it's time for garlic to be shown some respect."

Hope this answers your question? I know, it's still quite confusing. Also, if you look at a head/bulb closely, and start breaking it apart, you will also notice that beneath the outer "skin" there are other skins that don't go around the entire bulb--just maybe half or more of the cloves. There's other layers divided by skins, depending on the type of garlic. Below is a little about hardnecks, (Allium sativum, ophioscorodon):

"Ophio garlics normally produce a single circle of cloves around the central woody stalk. Close examination of the bulbs will reveal that the circle of cloves is actually divided (nearly in half) by a single skin. Technically, this means the cirle is composed of two 'layers' of cloves opposing each other. The two layers indicates the plant had only two fertile leaves with buds in the leaf axils, each bud forming a clove."

Mark

Mark~
Thanks for the info. It's pretty complicated. Guess it wasn't such a dumb question after all.
Rory

Hi Mark,

I have tyrophagus mites living down in the soil that are eating my cloves that I planted last fall. As soon as I discovered that I had a problem I applied an organic neem oil to the soil to take care of the mites. On some cloves the mites ate the entire clove and all that is left is a strong beautiful plant and true stem. The stem is left untouched. Will the true stem still produce buds and form a garlic bulb?

I appreciate any info Thanks,

April

When I grew garlic last year for the 1st time, i dug some up way too early and was shocked to discover that the original cloves pretty much rotted away to leave behind a scallion type white thin bottom which had roots and green leaves. then that white bottom swelled up and formed a head of garlic. so i do not think that it is the original clove which grows fatter and separates.

I hope I am right and it was not some kind of strange fluke observation.