Salvia Caymanensis

This salvia has flowered 10 weeks from when the seeds germinated, a very rare salvia native to the Cayman Islands. Flowers are small but a nice shaped.

The foliage is different as well.

Annette, you have the prettiest salvias growing. I love all those blues and whites. Thanks for showing them. : )
~Lucy

thanks Lucy, I love my salvias:)

Where does one get seed of Caribbean sages? They are from really small ranges and are almost always rare endemics. Because Haiti has been pretty well denuded of any fiber bearing plant (for making charcoal), many species have gone extinct there. Some can still be found on the Dominican Republic side of Hispaniola.

I got seed of someone in the U.S. who had contacts with the Cayman Botanical Gardens, he sent seed and it germinated. This salvia was thought extinct and a reward was offered if anyone could find it growing on the Cayman Islands, someone did and the Botanical Gardens collected seeds and Viola. Hopefully now that this one will set seed and I will distribute it to all interested parties.

Wow, brought back to life. That's great. Good Luck with them, Annette. : )

Another beauty there, Annette! If you get seed, I would be interested in trying to grow out a couple.

Joseph

No worries Joseph, I am coming into my major seed setting season, winter believe it or not.

Do you have bees working this plant's flowers? Such a seemingly fine bee guide there with the white lines.

Can't say that I have, you gotta remember bees have tons of salvias to choose from here and one of their faves is salvia longispicata or pseudo nutans, no accounting for tastes I guess:)



My new salvia that I am waiting for the flowers, salvia curviflora.

You certainly have some interesting ones Annette. I'd been keen to swap a few seeds later. I have some pretty rare tropicals that would suit you up there.

Yes I have some interesting ones and I start quite a few new ones for Oz and get them distributed, it is exciting to see new salvia flowers when there is no info on them so a lot of trial and error especially when only one seed germinates. This is another 1 of in Oz, salvia pubescens a native to mexico, 1 seed germinated, happy to say plant has adapted and prefers a partially shady spot.Plant is now big enough to take cuttings which I will do in the next few days.

You are like a pioneer then.

Salvia pubescens is closely related to both Salvia sessei and S. regla, and appears to be more like the former. Other members of this section (Erythrostachys) include S. betuliifolia (Durango, Chihuahua) and S.libanensis (Columbia: Magdalena). The former is like a giant regla, and I wonder if the arboreal S. regla from Jame that I collected might be closer to betuliifolia). The latter is a disjunct from the mountains in northern Columbia which are in turn somewhat disjunct from the Andes. I believe it is considered sacred by the natives there and is also spectacular.

It sounds like it would be spectacular!!!

This salvia is now setting seed, looks like it well be out and about in the world before long.

The S. pubescens I started from a herbarium sheet specimen (it was a gift of the collector, who I had met at the University of Maryland Herbarium) had yellowish hairs on the underside of the leaf and had a slight mustardy scent. Mine did not live long enough to bloom, though.

Annette,

All beautiful Salvia pics! Love them all!

Marilyn