Today's plant of the day for Salvias is Byron's Mexican Sage (Salvia 'Byron Flynt').

This plant can be found in the ATP Plant Database at:
Salvia (Salvia mexicana 'Byron Flynt') .

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Salvia (Salvia mexicana 'Byron Flynt')

Haven't grown this one yet, but the flowers look beautiful and large (big).

My Mexican safe was from seeds saved from Byron Flynt. So I was told since its s hybrid mine was not officially Byron Flynt. Looked just like it though. I will grow again this year from seeds I saved and see what I get

Byron Flint used to be a very popular variety in California. Now it gets little attention. I suspect it may be the "Not new so not worth bothering about" syndrome. Sad, if that is the case. It is a great plant.

We've grown it for decades and never have seen a single seed. As it is likely an interspecific hybrid, that make sense.

Well mine grew from seeds someone collected and they grew to look exactly like the pic but I know seeds of a hybrid are technically not exact

Actually, is not considered an interspecific hybrid any longer. The hybridizer later decided that the "hispanica" that he used as a parent was actually a tall, dark-calyced S. mexicana form that was being mistakenly sold as "hispanica" at that time in California. Therefore, it is just an intraspecific hybrid since the other parent was also S. mexicana, 'Limelight'.

My plant sets plenty of seeds. I got my plant from you, Kermit, and Judy got her original seeds from me.

Kermit, I am confused that you say that you have never seen seed on it because a couple of years ago you told me that you had collected seed from it but that the seedlings were variable.

Guess I'm getting old.

Aren't we all.

Sorry, Kermit, didn't mean to make you feel old! You've probably collected and sowed so many Salvia seeds that it would be hard for anyone to remember all the details.

It's strange how the same variety will set almost no seed in one place and plenty in another. Someone just sent me a nice trade of seeds collected from S. microphylla 'Hot Lips'. I've had that plant for years and have never found a seed on it. Other microphyllas set plenty here (if you can catch them.) I knew it was possible because I'd read that the form of 'Hot Lips' that is in Europe is actually a seedling from the original 'Hot Lips'.

'Byron Flynt' tends to hold on to its seeds a bit longer than some Salvias which makes harvesting a bit easier.

@Danita
My head spins when I read your post, it sounds very important but you lost me at intraspecific. But thank you for the seeds, it is a huge plant with gorgeous purple blue flowers.

Sorry Judy!
"Intraspecific" just means "within the species." In the case of an intraspecific hybrid that means that two forms of the same species were crossed. For example, if you crossed Salvia coccinea 'Lady in Red' with Salvia coccinea 'Coral Nymph' that would be an intraspecific hybrid. Most hybrid tomatoes are intraspecific hybrids because they involve crosses between different forms of the same species, Solanum lycopersicum. (There are some tomato hybrids that involve other species, too, so those wouldn't qualify as an intraspecific hybrid.)

"Interspecific" means "between species." In the case of an interspecific hybrid that means that two different species were crossed to produce a hybrid. For example, if you crossed Salvia leucantha with Salvia elegans that would be an interspecific hybrid (such as Salvia 'Anthony Parker'.)

I'm so glad that the seeds grew well for you!

That sounds confusing to remember (with one letter different).

Intraspecific and Interspecific

Thanks Danita for explaining this. I appreciate knowing, as I was confused also.

If you remember what the prefixes intra- and inter- mean then you can use that knowledge whenever you encounter a word with one of those prefixes. Such as:

intergalactic - relating to, or situated between two or more galaxies
intravenous - existing or taking place within, or administered into, a vein or veins

Danita,

I'll have to remember the intra- and inter- and what they mean and will have you to thank!

Can't believe I didn't know it sooner.

So Danita, I'm confused because someone, maybe you, t mailed me to correct my Byron Flynt photo---that it wasn't truly Byron Flynt because can't grow hybrid from seeds saved from a hybrid. So is my intra species cross a Byron Flynt? Or a mongrel?

Marilyn, I wish that I had been taught more of these types of prefixes, suffixes, and root words in school. It would have made deciphering newly encountered words much easier. I regret having not taken Latin in school. Oh well! I like to google the etymology of words now.

Judy, No, it is not 'Byron Flynt'. The real 'Byron Flynt' needs to be propagated asexually, such as by cuttings, tissue culture, etc. Although some cultivars are seed strains that come true from seeds, rather than the asexually-propagated cultivars, this is not the case for 'Byron Flynt'. Your plant is a Salvia mexicana so you can call it that or give it your own cultivar name, if you like.