I am fairly new to growing garlic as well and it is almost entirely softneck. I would agree that what you are describing from my reading would be a 'bulblet' , not to be confused with a 'bulbil' which forms at the top of a stalk. There has been a lot of debate about terms and definitions and I could be wrong - see thread linked below.

I don't think that it is worth trying to grow a head from a bulblet (it seems to take 2 years, 1 to form a round and the next to make a head) unless you have very limited planting stock or want to experiment. The bulblets are a bit like hardened seed that need some coaxing to sprout reliably because their coating could have them sitting under the ground for a while.

This is not related to your question but - you might want to look into softneck garlic varieties - they shine in CA. Elephant garlic is nice for roasting but for storage and flavor in recipes you can do better, but definately plant both.

Best of luck!

Hope this helps.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/allium/msg0715390631692.html?18