Ethel Mae Byrd variety description
Continuous variation in population. Two plants are a significantly lighter shade of green (with yellow hues) than others. One of these has light purple petioles. Others have light green petioles. Plants measure 13-25 inches tall and 24-40 inches wide. Leaves are more semi-prostrate and plants do not form a head. Taste is sweet, but texture is rather tough.
Ethel Mae Byrd variety history
This heirloom collard was grown and saved by the late Clarence Byrd of Pink Hill, North Carolina. It’s named for Clarence’s mother, Ethel Mae, who grew and saved these collards for at least fifty years before she passed on in 1992. In 2004, Clarence gave some seeds to Dr. Edward Davis a professor of geography at Emory & Henry College, who was collecting heirloom collard strains for preservation on behalf of the USDA Accession. Seed Savers Exchange requested this variety in 2016 from the USDA Accession collection (G 32613).
Seed Status:
This variety is low quantity in the Seed Savers Exchange collection and is in need of regeneration. We are actively looking for more seed stewards willing to regenerate and steward this variety. Please get in touch if you are interested. Email collards@seedsavers.org.