I got cuttings last fall of a Salvia greggii 'Viva'? Are there cultivars of both species called Viva, or do I need to rethink my tag?

Karen
1st) Being there is no registration authority for salvia cultivars soemone can call their seedlings anything they want.
2nd) Many Salvia species that look like a S.greggii are called that though they may not be. That has happened here
ie: A grower in California(the plant originated in California) has called their S.greggii "Moonlight" a grower here calls the same plant"Moonglow" very confusing to say the least.
3rd) In your case if you could post a picture that would help with it's ID. S.muelleri has smaller flowers like
S.coahuilensis and a similiar growth habit but a different color flower( more magenta colored) Coahuilensis is more in the violet - lavender color ranges.
Art

The S. muelleri and S. coahuilensis I have were from Manuel Flores when he had is nursery in Helotes. Or possibly from Carroll Abbott. The S. muelleri is a dark purple, about mid-range between red and blue, much like Purple Majesty in hue and saturation. The S. coahuilensis is definitely bluer, and more erect, with narrower leaves. The color is close to Prussian blue or purple.

Mixing a red pigmant with a blue or purple one darkens the color considerably, as it does with S. leucantha x elegans Anthony Parker, which is midnight purple. One parent is mid-saturation (pure) red, the other the same in purple.

The true muelleri and coahuilensis should be true blue.

Art, I'm afraid mine are only small, unflowered cuttings so not much to photograph yet. The original came from the JC Raulston Arboretum, probably via their 2008 Plant Distribution to members, so it should look like the link below. Their Current Plantings database says it was acquired in 2002 but doesn't say from where.

I've grown both coahuilensis and muelleri in the past, and I think I may even have stuck a cutting from one or both in the greenhouse somewhere last fall, so maybe when these cuttings get a little bigger I'll be able to figure it out.

Here is a link that might be useful: 'Viva' from Raulston arboretum

Art, I meant to add, my favorite example of 're-naming' is when I found what I'm pretty sure must be 'Hotlips' locally under the label 'Wolfpack Red and White'. Go Pack!

The North American Rock Garden Society meets at J C Raulton Arboretum tomorrow at 9:30, so I will get a chance to see this plant and will comment later.

Rich :
First Thank You both. Then S.muelleri "Viva" ( the only muellerii cv I have seen and grown)is a magenta color so is it just "Viva" that is in the pink color range? How does one distiquish between muelleri(royal purple sage)& coahuilensis (Coahuila sage)looking at the picture on "a world of Salvias" page and what
Betsy has published the habit and color look the same.
Pat McNeal also has a plant from Neuvo Leon named S.x Neuvo
Leon"
. The S.coahuilensis forms I saw at Manuel Flores nursery after he moved from Helotes to I-35 location were more lavender in color. Form was very different much more like prostrate rosemary. Where S x "Neovo leon" and "Navajo
Purple" were the same in habit which looks (to me) like the coahulensis that is posted on your site.Does muelleri have a white eye on the lip where the corolla tube joins with the corlla lip? Please help me understand.
Sincerely
Art

Rich, I look forward to hearing what you think. I checked the greenhouse but unfortunately I don't have either meulleri or coahuilensis any more so there will be no on site comparison by me.

Art, as long as Rich is explaining to us how to distinguish between this group, I'll add to your list with S. lycioides x greggii 'Los Lirios' and a small leaved purple flowered greggii 'SWNS', which I presume indicates an origin at Southwest Native Seeds.

Sorry, my 'SWNS' is labeled as a microphylla, not a greggii. The leaves are small and shaped like a greggii, but the surface is matte and not like the others listed.

Karen:
Thank you for the reminders I have the S.microphylla from
SWNS Purple, I need to get "los lirios". There are some other greggii x lyciodes & Lyciodes x greggii hybrids in
my collection.
Art

I checked out the sages at J C Raulston with Tim Atherton in their scree and roof gardens. I saw `Viva', but it was not in bloom. From its habit, I'd say it is not the muelleri I got from Manuel Flores. It has a greggii habit, with a suggestion that it is a cross with one of the blue or purple species or hybrids of section Flocculosa.

Tim was rather proud of S. greggii `Diane' and with good reason. This one likes scree conditions.