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.