Salvias and Plant Names in New Mexico

While visiting in Southern New Mexico, driving around I saw our California native Salvia clevelandii planted in front of banks, restaurants, on roadside city landscaped areas. It looked so familiar to California eyes. It has last year's bloom spikes still on it and has its olive green foliage. In the winter landscape this plant has more leaves and winter interest than most plants. On a quest for it, I dropped in on Sierra Vista Growers in La Union, a well-respected wholesale/retail nursery here. http://www.sierravistagrowers.net/  I called ahead to see it they had Salvia clevelandii and was told they had Chaparral Sage, would that do? I had no idea what specific plant she was talking about--I had heard Chaparral Sage as a name but did not know what plant it was. So, I decided to just give this a visit anyway. The staff person there showed me Chaparral Sage (it was indeed a Salvia clevelandii), Grammi Sage, and Autumn Sage. He said that Grammi Sage gets 4', is pink, while Autumn Sage is 3' and red. He was talking about Salvia grahami (also called Salvia microphylla) and Salvia greggi I think.

In early February at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix there were some lovely salvias in bloom. I asked a horticulturalist on staff there what their names were. One was identified as Chapparal Sage. Later I identified the salvia as Salvia dorrii.

At Merritt plant sales we have always made a point of identifying a plant with its Latin name and correctly spelling it. Often a common name will be included on a plant label, but that has been optional. After this New Mexico experience, I am more than ever convinced that the correct identification of a plant and its latin name are required and that common names are not even relevant.

As a footnote, I did buy two Salvia clevelandii to plant in the garden here. They do well here at 4,500' in commercial plantings. They can tolerate the high teens in temperature, the alkaline soil and summer rain. They are also evidently unpalatable to rabbits, the primary plant predator in this area. Who would anticipate our native California salvia would be so adaptable? And I am told that "Chaparral" is Spanish for road runner, referring to the bird--present here in abundance.