Promising Plants

Introduction

This plant promises to be . . .
At some of the earliest Herb Society of America meetings, when members got together, they brought slips, plants and seeds for one another as offerings. Those would always be precious in some way-they had the best taste, perhaps, or stirred up sentiments. Some were uncommonly beautiful, or had great herbal value. Maybe they were simply exotic. Our Society members have not only sustained this grand tradition through the sharing of cuttings and plants from their own gardens, but also through the dispersal of knowledge-and excitement-that make our Promising Plants program such an evolving treasure. What began at the Annual Meeting and Educational Conference as simple announcements of little-known or underused herbs, soon gained an avid audience.

Herb gardeners, being curious by disposition, have a natural taste for the new and under-represented, and the announcements became a regular program at the conference, with attendant slides, documentation, plant distributions, and source lists so that people could spread the word. Now, with the new technology, profiles of the plants are available on our website, including images and the text that was presented at the meeting.
– Janet Walker, HSA Botany and Horticulture Committee Chair, 2002-2003

About the Profiles

New profiles will be added to the website regularly. Each profile is also available as a pdf document that can be printed from the website (requires Adobe® Acrobat® Reader™ – free download available from Adobe®) or requested from HSA headquarters.

Message Boards

Each profile includes a link to a message board where members can post comments about each plant. Please feel free to share your experiences growing and using each herb. (This feature is available to HSA members only.) The boards can also be accessed directly through the HSA Forums section of the website.

Seed and Plant Sources

If a seed or plant source was suggested by a member of the Promising Plants Committee, it is included in the profile. A general list of Sources for Herb Seeds and Plants is also provided. Some plants may also be available through the HSA Seed Exchange. For additional assistance in locating a source, contact the HSA librarian at library@herbsociety.org.

References

Profiles were compiled based on information provided by members of the Promising Plants Committee and resources in the list of References.

Disclaimer: Information is provided as an educational service. HSA can not guarantee availability of seeds/plants, and inclusion of vendor information in the source list or profile does not indicate an endorsement by The Herb Society of America. The Herb Society of America can not advise, recommend, or prescribe herbs for medicinal use. Please consult a health care provider before pursuing any herbal treatments.

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