Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

DONATE TODAY

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

 
rate this answer
Not Yet Rated

Sunday - February 03, 2008

From: Romeoville, IL
Region: Midwest
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Is there a Salvia azurea var. alba?
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

Is there a Salvia azurea var. alba?

ANSWER:

Apparently not. The USDA Plants Database shows, besides Salvia azurea, Salvia azurea var. azurea and Salvia azurea var. grandiflora. Salvia azurea var. grandiflora has three synonyms listed for it—Salvia azurea var. intermedia, Salvia azurea var. pitcheri, and Salvia pitcheri.

If you search the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) for "Salvia azurea", you will find Salvia azurea, Salvia azurea var. azurea and Salvia azurea var. grandiflora listed as accepted names. Salvia azurea var. intermedia, Salvia azurea var. pitcheri, and Salvia pitcheri are listed as synonyms (and therefore not accepted names) for Salvia azurea var. grandiflora.
 

More Plant Identification Questions

Plant identification
November 18, 2007 - We were at some friends' ranch in Bandera Co. last week and found a plant with 1 inch pea-like pods of a matchstick girth with square black seeds. There were no leaves left only smooth green stems w...
view the full question and answer

Plant identification
September 05, 2011 - This incredible plant has grown up in the past two months. Considering the extreme heat of this summer, my husband assumes it must be a weed. We have had this skinny strip of dirt for four years, and ...
view the full question and answer

Carolina allspice (Calycanthus floridus) in Jasper TX
October 27, 2011 - Carolina allspice (calycanthus floridus) grows in my yard in East Texas. It is native to the eastern U.S., but I notice there is a variety whose distribution extends through Louisiana. Since I live in...
view the full question and answer

Need help identifying a plant with lupine-like leaves in La Grange Park, IL
May 20, 2010 - I encountered a plant on a level area just above a creek bed (moist soil, sun to partial sun) at one of the three largest grasslands in Illinois. The specific site looked like it may have been a burn ...
view the full question and answer

Identification of flower similar to bluebell in Washington
June 16, 2013 - Is there somewhere I can submit a picture to see what kind of flower it is? It looks like a bluebell but more star shaped. Found on the side of the road in Oak Harbor, WA
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.