MALVACEAE. Widely distributed warm-region herbs and shrubs, grown for ornament, fiber and medicine.
—Sida spinosa. (50) SIDA-76. Packet: $2.50
5 grams: $7.50
'INDIAN MALLOW', 'TEA WEED'. Pale yellow 1/3" flowers on an annual to 2 - 3 feet. SE U.S. and the tropics. Has antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and many other medicinal properties, long used in Ayurveda. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
SIDERITIS (see-der-EE-tis)
LABIATAE. Ornamental herbs and shrubs.
NEW—Sideritis hyssopifolia. (20) SIDE-36. Packet: $2.50
'SPANISH MOUNTAIN TEA'. Light yellow flowers in dense spikes in summer. Perennial shrub- let to 16", with aromatic leaves used as tea. Southern Europe. Zone 6. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks.
NEW—Sideritis scardica. (20) SIDE-72. Packet: $2.50
S. scardica cognitive effects: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6116054/
Overview of medicinal properties: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378874114000695
'OLYMPUS TEA.' Yellow flowers in large spikes. Perennial to 16", with very aromatic woolly foliage used as tea. Greece. Zone 6. Long used as a wild, pleasant-tasting tea, it has been demonstrated to increase cerebral blood flow, oxygenation, and cognitive performance, reducing anxiety, and lung problems. Decreases amyloid in worm models. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks warm.
—Sideritis syriaca. (25) SIDE-76. Packet: $2.50
'GREEK MOUNTAIN TEA'. Yellow 1/2" flowers in spikes. Perennial to 10 - 20", with 2" white-woolly leaves. Crete. Zone 6. Brewed into a golden-colored aromatic tea. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
SILENE (see-LAY-nay)
CARYOPHYLLACEAE. Five hundred species of North Hemisphere annuals, biennials and perennials with showy flowers produced in profusion. Easily grown and valued in the border or rockery. Best in full sun and sandy soil, and even the annuals can be sown in fall for earlier bloom. Most kinds germinate in 8 - 23 days and flower quickly. They have extrafloral nectaries.
—Silene capensis. (75) SILE-6. Packet: $2.50
1/4 gram: $7.50,
Gram: $25.00
Click for photo of seedlings »
'XHOSA DREAM PLANT', KWAQUELA', 'MOLOKOLOKO'. 'White to pink five-petaled flowers. Perennial to 1 - 2 feet, with 1 - 3" leaves. South Africa. Moist sandy soil. The root is said to be used by the Xhosa to induce vivid dreams. Germinates in 3 - 8 weeks, best with 2000ppm KNO3 (potassium nitrate), or GA-3.
NEW—Silene Zawadski. (50) SILE-124. Packet: $2.50
White flowers in summer, held above a mound of glossy green foliage. Hardy perennial to one foot. From the Carpathian Mountains. Zone 4.
SILPHIUM (SIL-fee-um)
COMPOSITAE. Tall perennials grown for their large, sunflower-like blooms. Long lived and good in most soils, especially heavy ones. Full sun and easily grown. Stately plants for the back border or prairie and wild gardens.
NEW—Silphium laciniatum. (25) SILP-15. Packet: $2.50
1/4 ounce: $12.00
'COMPASS PLANT'. Large yellow sunflower-like blooms in tall spikes. Hardy perennial to 6 feet, with large, striking bipinnately divided leaves, which tend to align themselves north and south. Plains States. Long-lived perennial valued in prairie gardens. Bird love the seeds and it exudes a gum which has been chewed. Give 8 weeks cold or GA-3 to germinate in 2 - 4 weeks. Easy from seed.
SILYBUM (SI-lee-bum or si-LEE-bum)
COMPOSITAE. 'MILK THISTLE'. Striking plants. Sow in fall or spring where they are to grow and thin to 2 feet apart. Sprouts in 1 - 3 weeks. An interesting note: fresh seed will not germinate at warm temperatures, only sprouting at cool temperatures; but after 5 months dry storage (after-ripening) they will germinate well at warm temperatures.
—Silybum eburneum. (50) SILY-2. Packet: $2.50
10 grams: $7.50
Click for photo »
'SILVER MILKTHISTLE', 'IVORY THISTLE'. Tall annual thistle to 4 - 6 feet, with purple flowers. Similar to common milkthistle, but the leaves lack the marbling. Spain and N. Africa. Zone 7. All parts edible like common milkthistle, and the seeds said to be rich in silymarin. Attracts bees. Germinates in 1 week.
Medicinal properties of Silybum species:
http://www.encognitive.com/node/15057
—Silybum Marianum. (200) SILY-3. Packet: $2.50
Ounce: $7.50
1/4 pound: $18.00 BULK OUT OF STOCK - packets are still available
'ST. MARY'S MILK THISTLE'. Bold and striking rosettes of large glossy, dark green, spiny leaves streaked and marbled with white, followed by 2" wide rose-purple, faintly scented flower-heads on 4 - 6 foot stalks, each head with dramatic reflexed spines. Mediterranean region. Zone 4. Old tradition holds that milk of the Virgin Mary fell upon the plant, causing the white marbling of the leaves. Flowers much visited by bees; later, birds love the seeds. California ranchers claim it loosens hard, compacted soil, and make their own 'clod-buster' from chopped plants soaked in 55 gallon drums of water. Formerly much used as food; the young leaves in salads or boiled, (I've never tried this myself, the spines scare me!) the peeled stalks, the roots like salsify, the young heads eaten like artichokes after cutting off the spines. Was thought to increase milk in nursing women. Since ancient times the seeds have been used as liver medicine, and recently their powerful liver-protective properties have found much use in modern medicine. Experiments have shown it capable of preventing death in dogs from fatal doses of Destroying-Angel mushroom toxins.
SISYRINCHIUM (si-si-RIN-kee-um)
IRIDACEAE. 'BLUE-EYED GRASS'. Small American grass-like perennials with blue or yellow flowers. They make nice colonies in open moist places. Easy in any soil. Good in pots.
—Sisyrinchium angustifolium Dark Blue. (100) SISY-3B. Packet: $2.50
5 grams: $10.00
'BLUE-EYED GRASS'. A very dark blue strain with 1/2" flowers. Needs light to germinate.
"Besides love and sympathy, animals exhibit other qualities connected with social instincts, which in us would be called moral; and I agree with Agassiz that dogs possess something very like a conscience."—Charles Darwin.
SIUM (SYE-um or SEE-um)
UMBELLIFERAE. Aromatic perennials with divided leaves and small white flowers. They do best in rich moist soil, and are grown from seed sown in fall or spring, or by division of the root. Various parts of several species are eaten. Seed viable 3 years.
NEW—Sium Sisarum. (100) SIUM-22. Packet: $2.50
5 grams: $16.00
'SKIRRET'. Hardy perennial to 3 feet. The sweet aromatic clustered roots are esteemed as a vegetable. They are eaten raw in salads or in soups and stews. "The sweetest, whitest, and most pleasant of roots."—Worlidge, 1682. Best in a light rich soil. Zone 4. The quality of roots is easily improved by selection. Germinates in 2 - 6 weeks.
SMYRNIUM (SMIR-nee-um)
UMBELLIFERAE. Hardy Old World biennial herbs with handsome divided foliage and yellow flowers.
—Smyrnium Olusatrum. (50) SMYR-18. Packet: $2.50
Ounce: $10.00
1/4 Pound: $30.00
Pound: $70.00
Click for photo »
'ALEXANDERS', 'BLACK LOVAGE'. Stout biennial or perennial to 4 feet, with large glossy bright green divided leaves. Yellow flowers in 4" umbels, followed by black 1/4" fruits. Mediterranean. An ancient vegetable, it is mentioned by Theophrastus (322 BCE), was cultivated by Charlemagne (800 CE), reached the height of its popularity around 1550 to 1650, and had almost disappeared by the late 1800s, being displaced by celery. The young shoots and stalks were blanched and eaten, and have a celery-like flavor, but more pungent, and were used to flavor soups and stews. The sliced root was eaten raw in salads. Unopened flower clusters eaten. Germinates best in summer, seed sown in August germinates in 2 weeks. Fresh seed needs cold treatment. Hardy to Zone 5. Seedlings thinned out can be eaten. A forgotten plant. Germination is greatly increased by rubbing the black husks off the seed to germinate in 3 - 6 weeks without cold treatment.
SOLANUM (so-LA-num)
SOLANACEAE. A huge genus of 1400 species, from annuals to trees. Includes important foods (potato, eggplant, etc.), medicines, industrial crops and many ornamentals. Generally easy from seed, germinates in 1 - 3 weeks. Sow hardy types where they are to stand, and tender types early indoors. They are wonderful plants, many very ornamental, but surprisingly little grown. Buy 'em or lose 'em!
Nice collection of photos of Solanum species.
—Solanum X Burbankii. (100) SOLN-9. Packet: $2.00
Click for photo of seedlings »
'WONDERBERRY', 'MSOBA'. Deep blue 1/4" fruits with white bloom are sweet and edible, used for tarts, jams, etc. Compact annual to 2 feet. Caused a great controversy when introduced by Luther Burbank. Delicious and productive. Sow on the surface, seed needs light or GA-3 to germinate in 2 - 3 weeks.
SOPHORA (so-FOR-a or SOF-or-a)
LEGUMINOSAE. Wide-ranging and showy ornamental mostly woody plants with clustered pea-like flowers and handsome pinnate foliage. Best in well-drained soil, and most stand drought well.
NEW—Sophora japonica. (25) SOPH-3. Packet: $2.50
'JAPANESE PAGODA TREE'. Fragrant creamy white 1/2" flowers in clusters up to 10" long, in late summer. Deciduous tree to 80 feet. China and Korea. Zone4. Pods and flowers produce a yellow dye. Used in traditional Chinese medicine. Germinates in 2 - 3 weeks warm.
SPHAERALCEA (sfeer-AL-see-a)
MALVACEAE. Ornamental shrubs and herbs of arid regions of the Americas. Grown for their often showy flowers. Good outdoors in warm regions. Some are fairly hardy and others good in the greenhouse. Nicking the seed may help germination.
—Sphaeralcea ambigua. (250) SPHA-4. Packet: $2.50
5 Grams: $7.50
'DESERT GLOBEMALLOW'. Bright orange-red 1 - 2 1/2" flowers in clusters, with conspicuous yellow stamens. March to June. Perennial to 3 feet, with greyish three-lobed 1 - 2 1/2" leaves. Utah to southern California. Spectacular and drought resistant, hardy to at least Zone 4. Nick seed or give hot water treatment to germinate in 2 - 3 weeks warm.
"So the universe would be a very great book, and we would be very small readers."—U. K. LeGuin.
STACHYS (STA-keez)
LABIATAE. Widespread perennials and annuals adapted to varied conditions, from dry to wet. Tubular, often hooded flowers in whorls, and often aromatic foliage. Some are medicinal.
—Stachys officinalis. (=Betonica) (100) STAC-14. Packet: $2.50
'WOOD BETONY'. Very rich purple 1/2" flowers in dense whorls and spikes. Hardy perennial to 3 feet, with 3 - 6" leaves. Europe, Middle East. Zone 4. Good ornamental, formerly much cultivated for medicinal use. Highly regarded for many ailments, and believed effective against 'devils and despair'. The tea is a fine beverage and was formerly valued against persistent headaches. "Sell your coat and buy Betony."—Italian proverb. Germinates in 2 - 4 weeks.
STEPHANOTIS (ste-fa-NO-tis)
ASCLEPIADACEAE. Tropical climbers and 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 LIMIT 5 PACKETS PER CUSTOMER
'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. Zone 10. A popular greenhouse plant. The flowers are traditionally used in wedding bouquets. Germinates in 2 - 8 weeks, some up to 16.
STEVIA (STE-vee-a)
COMPOSITAE. From the warm Americas.
—Stevia rebaudiana. (30) STEV-21. Packet: $4.00
'SWEET LEAF'. Small shrub with tiny white flowers and narrow leaves. Paraguay. The dried leaves are used as a no-calorie sweetener. Surprisingly hardy, standing some freezes and renewing from the base. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.