Native Plants
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.
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.
rate this answer
Tuesday - May 12, 2009
From: Willow City, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Who was Salvia clevelandii named for?
Answered by: Joe Marcus
QUESTION:
Where does the term "clevelandii (as in the Salvia I recently saw for the first time) originate?ANSWER:
Theoretically, the specific epithet, clevelandii, could refer to a person (President Grover Cleveland, for example), a place (Cleveland, Ohio is one possibility), a thing (if there is a thing called a cleveland) or it could reference absolutely nothing that the species' author cared to reveal. There are few rules for the creation of specific epithets beyond that they be in Latinized form and that they are in gender agreement with the associated genus name.
In the case of Salvia clevelandii, Cleveland sage, the author of the species chose to honor Daniel Cleveland, a nineteenth century lawyer, amateur botanist, plant collector and co-founder of the San Diego Society of Natural History. Cleveland was especially noted as an expert on Southern California ferns. He founded the San Diego Natural History Museum herbarium and also sent many Southwestern herbarium specimens to the Harvard University herbarium.
In addition to Salvia clevelandii, there are a number of other species named in his honor including: Cheilanthes clevelandii, Chorizanthe clevelandii, Cryptantha clevelandii, Dodecatheon clevelandii, Horkelia clevelandii, Malacothrix clevelandii, Mimulus clevelandii, Muilla clevelandii, Nicotiana clevelandii and Penstemon clevelandii. Moreover, the monotypic Mexican genus, Clevelandia (now included in Castilleja) was also named in Mr. Cleveland's honor. Clearly, he was a well-respected plantsman in his time.
More Plant Identification Questions
Identification of vine with large leaves and blue-black berries
January 15, 2013 - I visited a creek with a limestone seep spring that supplies it. Around the creek is growing some kind plant that has leaves that are very similar to a briar, or snailseed. However, the leaves of the ...
view the full question and answer
Dodder, rootless, leafless, parisitic twining plants
May 29, 2006 - Hello,
I have been studying wildflowers in California for many years.
Yesterday I came across a surprise and I am thus far unable to identify it.
As it is raining today, I cannot get a photo, but I...
view the full question and answer
Identity of plant with white flowers and serrated leaves in creek bed
September 17, 2012 - I have a wild fall blooming plant, white flowers, serrated leaves. Growing abundantly in my dry creek bed. Any thoughts?
view the full question and answer
Native sedges for Texas
March 07, 2007 - What can you tell me about Texas Blue Sedge? What its true name and culture requirements?
view the full question and answer
Need to identify a strange plant in my flowerbed
March 05, 2010 - I have a strange plant that I've called a weed in my flowerbed. It doesn't have many leaves but it has round white almost bulbs at the surface of the dirt. The "bulbs" look almost like a small oni...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |