RIBES
—Ribes divaricatum. (100) RIBE-12.
'COAST BLACK CURRANT'. Small greenish-purple nodding flowers followed by black berries. Shrub to 10 feet, with rounded 2" leaves. Pacific Northwest.
RIVEA (RIV-ee-a)
CONVOLVULACEAE. Large woody twiners or climbing shrubs with heart-shaped leaves and attractive morning-glory-like flowers. Grown for ornament in the greenhouse or outdoors in warm regions.
—Rivea corymbosa. RIVE-6. Packet: $3.00
10 grams: $18.00 (about 300 seed)
'OLOLIUQUI', 'CAMPANITA', 'CHRISTMAS FLOWER'. Large clusters of white, inch-wide flowers. Large woody twiner reaching great heights with age, and the trunk as thick as a man's thigh. Heart-shaped 4" leaves. Tropical America. A good honey plant. Now classified as Turbinia corymbosa.
ROMNEYA: See Reserved Access page.
ROSA
—Rosa moschata. (d,v) ROSE-99. Packet: $2.50
'HIMALAYAN MUSK ROSE'. Creamy white 1 1/2 - 2" musk-scented flowers in large corymbs in April and May. Large deciduous climber. Himalayas to 4000 to 8000 feet. Not hardy in the North.
—Rosa pouzinii. (30) ROSA-148.
Wonderful copyright-free photo by Javier Martin, Spain
Beautiful white 5-petaled single flowers, sometimes blushed pink, followed by oval, wine-red hips. Shrub to 5 - 10 feet with shiny green leaves. Western Mediterranean. Zone 6. The hips have been made into conserves.
—Rosa villosa (=pomifera) (20) ROSA-200.
'APPLE ROSE'. Clear pink 2" wide flowers in early autumn, followed by large scarlet inch-wide apple-shaped edible fruits. Vigorous shrub to 6 feet, with grey-green downy foliage, fragrant when crushed. Eurasia. Zone 6. The fruits are eaten and the leaves have been used for a tea.
RUBUS
—Rubus parviflorus. (100) RUBU-60.
'THIMBLE-BERRY'. Large white 1 - 2" wide five petaled fragrant flowers in spring, followed by red 3/4" berries. Spineless shrub with large light green downy 5 - 10" leaves. Western North America. Zone 4. The berries and young shoots are eaten.
—Rubus spectabilis. (100) RUBU-76.
'SALMON BERRY'. Large inch-wide rose red or purplish flowers in spring, followed by salmon-red berries. Shrub to 12 feet or so, with few prickles. Alaska to California. Zone 6. The berries vary from delicious to insipid, depending on the site.
SABAL
—Sabal Blackburniana. (15) SABA-5.
Oz: $6.00
'HISPANIOLAN PALMETTO'. Large grey-green 6 foot wide fans on a striking palm to 25 to 60 feet, with a bare, cement-grey trunk. Hispaniola.
SALPIGLOSSUS (sal-pi-GLOS-us)
SOLANACEAE. Odd flowers from the Chilean Andes, valued for their richly-colored, attractively-veined bloom. Easily grown as half-hardy annuals in deep, rich soil; poor soil stunts bloom. Good in pots and for winter bloom in the greenhouse. Seed germinates readily in 1 - 3 weeks. Some species are dormant.
S. sinuata Varieties: 'Paisley Flower'.
—Salpiglossus grandiflora Finest Mix. (a,h) SALP-1FX. Packet: $2.00
Large 2 1/2" funnel-shaped flowers in rich shades of golden yellow, cream, violet, red and bluish, with gold throats, and veined with purple, June to September. Half-hardy annual to 3 feet. Makes nice cut flowers which last well in water.
SALVIA
—Salvia coccinea Hummingbird Mix. (20) SALV-20H.
Nice mix of red with black calyx, light scarlet, coral and white bicolor, and white. Half-hardy perennial to 14 - 16". Nice!
—Salvia glutinosa. (d,h) SALV-28. Packet: $2.50
Gram: $6.00
'JUPITER'S DISTAFF'. Pale yellow 1 1/2" flowers from July to September. Hardy perennial to 3 feet, with 8" leaves. Eurasia. Has been used for flavoring. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks with light; sometimes very dormant, try cold or GA-3.
—Salvia Horminum White Swan. (c,h) SALV-34W. Packet: $2.50
Spikes of large, showy, pure white bracts veined green, and half-inch violet purple flowers. Stunning hardy annual to 2 feet, with sometimes aromatic oval, downy leaves. Southern Europe. Excellent cut flower or dried everlasting. The leaves can be used like sage, are good in soups and broths, and were once used as snuff, or added to fermenting beer. Seed half-life 8 years. (=S. viridis). Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks.
—Salvia przewalskii. (30) SALV-66.
Purple flowers with brownish calyces, in long branched spikes in July and August. Hardy perennial to 2 - 3 feet, with foot-long basal leaves. China. Zone 7 or 8.
—Salvia roemeriana Hot Trumpets. (10) SALV-74H. $3.00
'CEDAR SAGE'. Bright scarlet inch-long flowers in 8" spikes in June to September. Rounded perennial to 1 foot. S.W. U.S. Zone 7. Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit.
—Salvia Sclarea Piemont. (100) SALV-77P. Packet: $2.50
5 grams: $15.00
Stunning variety with deep purple bracts and white flowers. Hardy biennial or perennial to 5 feet.
SAPINDUS (sa-PIN-dus)
SAPINDACEAE. Warm-region trees and shrubs with attractive foliage.
—Sapindus Mukorossi. (10) SAPN-30. $3.00
'CHINESE SOAPBERRY', 'REETHA'. Evergreen tree to 45 feet, with large 16" pinnate leaves and small white flowers in clusters at the branch-tips in summer, followed by yellow to orange-brown 3/4" fruits. India to Japan. Zone 8. The fruits are rich in saponin and have been used for soap, in shampoo, as a food additive, and medicinally. Nick seed and give 3 months cold treatment.
SCHIZANTHUS
—Schizanthus Angel's Wings. (b,h) SCHZ-AW. Packet: $2.50
Germination: 88% Tested: 12/09, 5 grams: $10.00, 25 gm: $41.00
A fine compact strain of French origin, with large flowers in many shades. To 18" tall.
SCILLA (SKI-a or SIL-a)
LILIACEAE. Beautiful, easily grown early blooming bulbs. Most are hardy and flower for years without care. Also good in the rock garden or in pots. Many need cold treatment to germinate.
—Scilla peruviana. (e,h) SCIL-20. Packet: $2.50
'CUBAN LILY'. Starry, deep purple-blue flowers almost an inch across, in large dense rounded masses of 50 - 100 blooms, May and June. Half hardy bulb to a foot tall, with broad, strap-like leaves. Mediterranean, despite the name. Zone 8. Germinates in 3 - 4 months.
SCOPOLIA (sko-PO-lee-a)
SOLANACEAE. Eurasian perennials with bell-shaped flowers and thick, creeping roots, related to belladonna. Best in shade.
—Scopolia carniolica. (10) SCOP-6. Packet: $2.50
1/4 gram: $9.00, Gram: $25.00
Purple bell-shaped nodding inch-long flowers in April & May, followed by nodding capsules. Hardy creeping perennial to 1 - 2 feet, with 3 - 8" leaves. Damp stony soil, central Europe. Medicinal and poisonous, similar to belladonna, and the original source of scopolamine. Give seed 6 weeks cold to germinate in 2 - 4 weeks.
SCUTELLARIA
—Scutellaria baicalensis. (150) SCUT-8.
Gram: $7.50, 5 grams: $18.00
Info and photo
'BAIKAL SKULLCAP', 'HUANG QIN'. Blue-purple velvety inch-long flowers in one-sided spikes. Sprawling hardy perennial to 16". Siberia to Japan. The root is an important Chinese medicine, with a variety of effects, including antibiotic, diuretic, anti-fever, and lowering blood pressure.
—Scutellaria lateriflora. (a,h) SCUT-48. Packet: $2.50
Gram: $7.50, 5 grams: $15.00
Photo
'MAD-DOG SKULLCAP'. Small light blue flowers in one-sided racemes, July to September. Hardy perennial to 2 - 4 feet, with 3" leaves. North America. Best in moist soil. Valuable medicinal plant, formerly highly regarded against rabies, and called "One of the finest nervines ever discovered."—Grieve. Use GA-3 to germinate in 2 weeks.
—Scutellaria pontica. (b,f) SCUT-64. Packet: $3.00
Reddish purple 1" flowers in dense clusters from June to August. Hardy perennial to 6", with downy greyish foliage. Turkey. Zone 6. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
SIDALCEA
—Sidalcea Hendersonii. (80) SIDL-9. Packet: $2.50
Gram: $7.50, 5 gm: $16.00
'HENDERSON'S CHECKERMALLOW'. Showy deep pink hollyhock-like inch-wide flowers in spikes in early summer. Hardy tap-rooted perennial to 2 to 6 feet, with rounded 6" basal leaves and divided stem-leaves. Pacific Northwest. Zone 7.
SOLANUM
—Solanum aviculare. SOLN-8.
'KANGAROO APPLE', 'KOONYANG', 'MAYAKITCH' (aboriginal names). Violet 1" flowers in clusters, followed by 1" yellow berries. Handsome shrub to 5 - 10 feet, with narrow, dark green, foot-long lobed leaves. Australia & N.Z. Often blooms the first year, & is a nice ornamental here in Calif. The leaves & stems are a rich source of the glycoalkaloid solasodine, used in the synthesis of steroids. The fully ripe fruits, after they have fallen, are said to be eaten raw, boiled or baked; if at all unripe they burn the mouth.
—Solanum pyracanthum. (150) SOLN-66. Packet: $3.00
5 grams: $19.00
Photos and Info
'PORCUPINE TOMATO'. Blue-violet inch-wide flowers in summer, on a very spiny shrub to 2 - 8 feet. Rusty orange stems and striking blue-green toothed leaves with wicked rusty-orange spines along the midrib. Madagascar. Grow as an annual.
STEPHANOTIS (ste-fa-NO-tis)
ASCLEPIADACEAE. Tropical climbers & shrubs grown for their beautiful flowers. Popular in the greenhouse and outdoors in the South. Feed while growing. Germinates in 2 - 13 weeks, warm.
—Stephanotis floribunda. (10) STEP-9. Packet: $3.00
'MADAGASCAR JASMINE'. Very sweetly scented 1 - 2" waxy white trumpet shaped flowers in long-lasting clusters from April to October. Twining evergreen climber to 10 - 15 feet, with glossy dark green leaves. Madagascar. A popular greenhouse plant. The flowers are traditionally used in wedding bouquets. Germinates in 2 - 8 weeks, some up to 16.
STIPA (STEE-pa or STY-pa)
GRAMINEAE. 'FEATHER GRASS'. Attractive perennial grasses native of plains, savannas & steppes throughout the world. Grown for ornament, forage, and restoration, they include some of our finest native bunchgrasses, and are assets in any garden. Many kinds are best grown from aged seed, germination increasing after a year in storage. Two weeks cold may help germination of fresh seed. Most sprout in 5 - 30 days. Seed and plants long lived. Sow in spring or early fall. Smoke treatment may help germination.
—Stipa capillata. (10) STIP-10. $3.00
Photo
Long, feathery, silvery-white awns in 4 - 10" panicles. Eurasian bunchgrass to 3 feet. Very hardy.
—Stipa dasyvaginata ssp. apenninicola. (25) STIP-16A.
Beautiful long feathery awns. Rare bunchgrass to 20". Endemic to the Apennines, Italy. Unknown in cultivation in the U.S.
TABEBUIA (ta-be-BOO-ee-a)
BIGNONIACEAE. Tropical evergreen trees grown for their showy clustered flowers and some for the medicinal bark. They grow luxuriantly in southern California and Florida in any rich soil. Fast growing and easy.
—Tabebuia chrysotricha. (50) TABE-6.
'GOLDEN TRUMPET TREE'. Large golden-yellow 3 - 4" trumpets in dense clusters. Rounded tree to 25 - 50 feet, with pinnate leaves with 4" leaflets. Columbia, Brazil. Zone 10. Fast growing and blooms young.
TAGETES
—Tagetes Lemmonii. (40) TAGE-11. $3.00
Info and photos
Photos
'MEXICAN BUSH MARIGOLD'. Orange-yellow inch-wide flowers in fall and winter. Shrubby to 4 to 6 feet or so, and spreading as wide. Aromatic leaves. Arizona and northern Mexico. Hardy to 18°F, deerproof, and has an unusual lemon-mint-marigold scent. Drought resistant.
TETRADIUM (te-tra-DEE-um)
RUTACEAE. Fine aromatic ornamental Old World shrubs and trees. Allied to Zanthoxylum. Strong growing and valuable plants, some hardy. Seed viable at least a year.
—Tetradium Daniellii. (=Evodia D.) (100) TETD-7. Packet: $2.50
Oz: $7.50
Photos: Tree Tree Flowers Info Info and photos
'KOREAN EVODIA'. Fragrant white flowers in 6" clusters in June to late summer, followed by showy reddish to black fruits. Fast growing shrub or small tree to 25 feet, with pinnate aromatic foliage. N. China to Korea. Zone 4. Called 'Bee-Bee Tree' because it is excellent bee forage, giving a very pale or clear honey with a fruity flavor. Germinates best with GA-3.
THYMUS
—Thymus Mastichina. (125) THYM-16. $3.00
'MASTIC THYME', 'SPANISH MARJORAM'. Aromatic shrublet to 6 - 12", with round heads of tiny white flowers and small green leaves. Spain and Portugal. Used for seasoning.
TRICHOSANTHES: See Reserved Access page.
VACCINIUM
—Vaccinium ovalifolium. (400) VACC-1S.
'MATHERS', 'KURO-USUGO'. Blue-black 1/3" berries in July, before the other species. Shrub to 6 to 15 feet, with oval leaves and small urn-shaped flowers. Western N. America and E. Asia. The berries are highly prized throughout its range.
—Vaccinium parvifolium. VACC-25.
'RED HUCKLEBERRY'. Showy bright red berries on a spreading, slow-growing shrub to 6 - 18 feet. Small pinkish white 1/4" flowers in April & May. Alaska to California. The tart, delicious fruit are fine for jams, pies, etc. They were dried for winter use by the Indians. Sow in fall or give 3 months cold. Both flowering and fruiting branches good for indoor decoration.
VIOLA
—Viola chaerophylloides f. sieboldiana. (100) VIOL-23S. OUT OF STOCK
Photo and info
Photo and info
Photo and info
Photo
'HIGOSUMIRE'. Inch-wide white flowers on a stemless perennial to 2 - 4" tall, with finely divided leaves. Japan, China. Choice!
ZAMIA (ZA-mee-a)
ZAMIACEAE. Tropical American cycads. Easy from seed, soak 3 - 7 days, keep warm. Root germinates quickly, fronds show later. Good in the greenhouse and makes nice houseplants. The cycads date back to the Mesozoic, and are often called 'living fossils'.
—Zamia furfuracea. (10,h) ZAMI-14. Packet: $2.50 OUT OF STOCK
100 seeds: $15.00, 500 seeds: $45.00 OUT OF STOCK
'COONTIE', 'SEMINOLE BREAD'. Glossy green leathery pinnate 2 - 4 foot fronds, fuzzy on the undersides, from a thick trunk to 6 feet. Florida and México. Indians extracted starch from the trunk. Roots germinate in 3 - 6 weeks, top growth later.
ZEHNERIA (zeh-ner-EE-a)
CUCURBITACEAE. Tendril-climbing perennials of the Eastern Hemisphere tropics, with small red berries.
—Zehneria pallidinervia. (c,h) ZEHN-19. Packet: $2.50
Click for photo »
Bat-shaped, thick, succulent leaves marked green and white. Vine from a tuberous root. Weird! Seed needs dark, cover seed to germinate in 1 - 2 weeks.
ZINNIA
—Zinnia elegans Benary's Giant Lime. (c,h) ZIN-4L. Packet: $2.50
Large lime green flowers. Half hardy annual to 34". Nice.