The Salvia divinorum Research and Information Center - Shroomery

Salvia divinorum Clones
Valdés collected three different clones. unfortunately due to labeling mix-ups and some plant losses the only one that we
are certain still exists in cultivation is his collection from Cerro Quemado (see above).
A.S. Reisfield, author of "The Botany of Salvia divinorum", collected several specimens in Oaxaca, and also managed to
produce viable seed from which he raised several plants. These plants were left in the care of the horticultural staff at "The
University of Wisconsin" were they all died off. It is always possible that someone out there propagated some of these lost
clones in which case they may still exist in some private collections. Perhaps some of these will show up again in the
future.
Qualities of different clones:
Potency:
John Grubber did HPLC on "Luna" (syn. Siebert 9401) and 5 of the 6 seed raised clones. Only one sample of each was
looked at, so the results are statistically rather meaningless. It is clear that the salvinorin A concentration of a given clone
can vary quite a bit. Grubber checked 4 samples of "Wasson/Hofmann" and reported the following salvinorin A
concentrations: 1.93, 2.75, 2.86 & 3.87 mg/g. He also checked 4 of "Palatable" and reported the following salvinorin A
concentrations: 0.86, 0.89, 2.33 & 2.85 mg/g.
Bitterness:
The bitter taste of S. divinorum is primarily due to the presence of water soluble tannins in the leaves. Apparently the
concentration of the bitter elements varies within the plant in much the same way as does salvinorin A. Therefore, any
particular clone can vary in degree of bitterness. I have observed that my plants produce significantly less-bitter leaves
during the spring, when they are growing particularly rapidly. I have not noticed any significant difference in bitterness
between clones, including the so called "Palatable" clone. Note: The clone named "Delicious" describes a delicious
experience, not a delicious flavor.
Vigor:
Some clones do seem to grow more vigorously than others. Some particularly strong growers are: "Wasson/Hofmann",
"Palatable", "Luna", "Delicious", "Catalina", "Cerro Quemado", and "Sacred Spring."
Appearance:
The appearance of any given clone will vary somewhat in response to environmental factors including: humidity, soil
nutrition and light levels. The leaves can vary from yellowish to dark green and will occasionally develop purple areas. The
size and thickness of the leaves as well as the general vigor of the plant will also vary.
Taking into accout variations in appearance brought on by environmental or cultural conditions, most clones of S.
divinorum look identical and therefore cannot be visually distinguished from one another. The distinctive clones described
above are the only exceptions that I am aware of.
Genes:
The seed raised plants are important in that they are genetically unique—a quality which may be very important in future
genetic studies and breeding experiments.
http://www.sagewisdom.org/clones.html (3 of 3) [04.09.01 10:20:01]