''Salvia greggii'', the autumn sage, is a
herbaceous
Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials.
Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous"
The fourth edition of t ...
perennial plant native to a long, narrow area from southwest Texas, through the
Chihuahuan Desert and into the Mexican state of
San Luis Potosi, typically growing in rocky soils at elevations from . It was named and described in 1870 by botanist
Asa Gray
Asa Gray (November 18, 1810 – January 30, 1888) is considered the most important American botanist of the 19th century. His ''Darwiniana'' was considered an important explanation of how religion and science were not necessarily mutually excl ...
after
Josiah Gregg
Josiah Gregg (19 July 1806 – 25 February 1850) was an American merchant, explorer, naturalist, and author of '' Commerce of the Prairies'', about the American Southwest and parts of northern Mexico. He collected many previously undescribed pla ...
(1806 – 1850), a merchant, explorer, naturalist, and author from the
American Southwest and Northern
Mexico, who found and collected the plant in Texas. It is closely related to, and frequently
hybridizes with, ''
Salvia microphylla
''Salvia microphylla'', the baby sage, Graham's sage, or blackcurrant sage, is an evergreen shrub found in the wild in southeastern Arizona and the mountains of eastern, western, and southern Mexico. It is a very complex species which easily hybr ...
''. Despite the common name "autumn sage", it blooms throughout the summer and autumn.
Description
''Salvia greggii'' is a highly variable plant, with numerous named cultivars, reaching anywhere from in height and less in width. It can be either upright or mounding. The leaves are typically mid-green and glabrous, tending to be less than long, and with a spicy fragrance. Flower size and color are extremely variable. Flowers reach from in length, and include many shades of scarlet and red (most common in the wild), along with rose, white, pink, lavender, apricot, and violet.
Cultivation
The plant is used widely in horticulture. Popular named cultivars include 'Furman's Red', a cultivar from Texas that blooms profusely in autumn with dark red flowers. 'Big Pink' has a large lower lip with a deep pink color and lavender tint. 'Purple Pastel' is a small variety that repeat blooms in autumn. 'Cherry Chief 'blooms reliably in the humid southern United States. 'Desert Pastel' has pale apricot flowers with yellow streaks, and prefers mild climates.
Other cultivars include: 'Alba', a white flowered variety; 'Peach', with vivid red flowers; 'Strawberries and Cream', yellow and pink.
Natural hybrids between ''S. greggii'' and ''S. microphylla'' were discovered in Mexico in 1991 by an English plant expedition. The variously colored hybrids are collectively named
''Salvia'' × ''jamensis'' after the nearest village, Jame. The collectors gathered seed from nearly 30 different colors of flowers. It was later discovered that plants collected in 1991 by collectors from Yucca Do Nursery in Texas were also forms of ''Salvia ''×'' jamensis''. The various forms most resemble ''S. greggii'' in height, though they show a range of variety in other traits.
In the UK the cultivars ‘Javier’ and ‘Peter Vidgeon‘ have gained the
Royal Horticultural Society’s
Award of Garden Merit
The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions.
History
The Award of Garden Merit ...
.
Other species have been involved in the production of garden cultivars, and the precise origin of some is unclear. As a group, they may be referred to as Mexican salvias.
Notes
External links
Texas Native Plants DatabaseUSDA PLANTS ProfileUniversity of Texas Austin
{{Taxonbar, from=Q891000
greggii
Flora of Mexico
Flora of Texas