What's in the Name?

I got some seeds and on the envelope it said:

Salvia sp.  

Salvia officinalis = Sage with herbal uses growing in my potager

What does sp. stand for? I found this very useful article by Susan Mahr about Botanical and Latin names. I learned that:

Unspecified or unknown specie in the genus of for instance Salvia would be written as Salvia sp. To signify more than one species in the genus, it is written Salvia spp. Another thing.. once the genus has been used in a paragraph, or is understood, it can be shortened, such as S. splendens. and S. officinalis, good to know

What's In A Name?

Understanding Botanical or Latin Names

By Susan Mahr, University of Wisconsin – Madison

“All living organisms are classified into various groups with different degrees of relatedness. In the plant kingdom, the various levels of classification include class, order, family, genus and species. The genus and species names together comprise the scientific name that every plant (and animal, too) is given when first described by a scientist. These species names are recognized by botanists, horticulturists and gardeners no matter where you go in the world.”

What the Latin name means

acaulis                 stemless

alba                     white

angustifolia         narrow-leaved

annua                  annual

argentea             silvery  ag silver

arvensis              of the field

aurantiaca          orange

... find the rest here

I have planted 14 Salvias (Sage)  now for 2010 some of them are perennial and most of them are blueish purple in the colour they are:

 Salvia amplexicaulis, Salvia dolichantha, S. forskaohlei, S. glutinosa, S. hians, S. nemorosa,  S. officinalis ' Berggarten', S. przewalskii, S. staminea, S. transsylvania, S. certicillata, S. virgata, S. columbariae (Chia) and last the Salvia sp. the unknown one.

I always bought plants of Salvia before and this is the first time I sow them from seed, very exiting.


Thank you Nancy  Soliloquy  for choosing to put Tyra's Garden on you sidebar this week.

Photo: YCLS

Soothing remedy for coughs and colds

This post 'Once up on a Thyme' was originally uploaded by Tyra in the blog Tyra's Garden

Once up on a Thyme...

...I walked on a path lined with of thymes and sensed the marvellous amoratic leaves and I fell in love...
I just adore the fragrance and taste of this herb. It is a favourite both in the potager as well as in the kitchen. I even make a cough medicine with Thymus vulgaris in it, see recipe for Tyra's remedy intended for coughs and colds below but first some pictures.

Wooly Thyme Thymus pseudolanuginosus

Woolly thyme —the wooliest of all thymes, forms a thick ground-covering mat of tiny, densely hairy grayish green leaves. The foliage has subtle fragrance and is not the best thyme for culinary use nor for my remedy. In June-July the pretty tiny pink tubular flowers appears. Plants grow to only about 5 cm or so in height. Woolly thyme thrives in dry, well-drained neutral to alkaline soil in full sun. Walks, rock gardens, stone walls, and pond borders (if dry) are all excellent habitats from the creeping of the lovely Thymus pseudolanuginosus. This thyme spills gracefully over stone walls and can be grown between stone pavers. To propagate, divide the plants in spring or autumn, or sow seed in early spring.

Thymus vulgaris Garden Thyme,

Thymus x citriodorus Lemon Thyme

and Orange fragrant Thyme Thymus fragantissiumus

are in my belief the best for culinary use. For medical use take the Thymus vulgaris.

Now for the recipe...

Tyra's soothing remedy for coughs and colds

Make a strong infusion of thyme, elderberry flowers and sage (let it cool) add lemon and a generous amount of honey and for adults 1/3 part of gin or congac. Drink small amount of this mixture several times per day, it is really soothing.

For a cold it is beneficent to add fresh ginger, chili and/or garlic as well.


~~~

Susie on Gotland says "Here on Gotland the wild thyme growns in the meadows by the sea and it's so nice to go there late in the summer evenings as the sun set - and so on top of that sense the smell of crushed thyme. Wonderful! Oh, how I long for next year!"

En fin kommentar från Susie på min svenska blogg, jag tyckte det lät så skönt.

"Här växer ju timjanen vild på strandängarna och det är så skönt att gå där sent på sensommarkvällarna i solnedgången - och så ovanpå det få känna doften av krossad timjan. Underbart! Oj, vad jag längtar till nästa år!! "

Take care - LOLove/ Tyra

Don't be a stranger do write something...

Here comes the Sun - Tussilago farfara

This post, 'Here comes the sun - Tussilago farfara' was originally uploaded and written by Tyra at the blog Tyra's Garden http://waxholm.blogspot.com/

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HERE COMES THE SUN - the sun of spring

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In yesterdays post I wrote about LOVE an ABC post in the Greenhouse and to go with it I had a great song from the Beatles 'All you need is love' and today another one came to my mind 'Here comes the sun'. This small messenger that tells us that the spring is here and it looks just like a perfect sun to me. About YESTERDAY why not take that one as well..

or should I LET IT BE? I just love that one, one of the best.

COLTSFOOT Tussilago farfara

Coltsfoot is a perennial herbaceous plant that spreads by seeds and rhizomes. Tussilago is often found in colonies of dozens of plants. The flowers, which superficially resemble dandelions, appear in early spring before dandelions appear. The leaves, which resemble a colt's foot in cross section, do not appear usually until after the seeds are set. Thus, the flowers appear on stems with no apparent leaves, and the later appearing leaves then wither and die during the season without seeming to set flowers. The plant is typically between 10 - 30 cm in height. From wikipedia.

Tussilago - kärt barn har många namn säjs det.

Den här lilla godingen hittade jag på väg hem från jobbet i lördags, en enda liten tussilago men oj vad glad jag blev! Vårens budbärande.

'Den tidigast blommande svenska örten; då går tjälen ur marken, snön smälter i skuggan, isen lossnar på floderna, grodan kväker i kärren, trasten sjunger i skogen, orren spelar på ljungen och ärlan bebådar Floras ankomst.' Carl von Linne'

Hästhov, hosthäva, hostört, lungbota, brösttobak, tandvärksbota, läkeblad, tjälablomma, majblomma, lerblad, hin ondes blomma, hin ondes rova, farfarsblad, farfarsblad, fålafötter, skråp, mjölblad, surblad, skarvagräs, hästhuvud, tussilon

Odling och bruk - Växtdroger och beredningar.

TYRA

Don't be a stranger - do write something.