William Alexander Heading variety description
Variation in variety. Slight variation in intensity of green color of leaves from green to dark green to yellow-green, leaf outline from entire to wavy, and leaf angle from open to semi-prostrate. Leaf shape varies from elliptic to ovate. Leaves have moderate bloom. Leaf blistering also varies from low to moderate. Plants have slight heading capabilities. Plants measure 15-26 inches tall and 25-40 inches wide. Variety has a strong mustardy flavor and slight sweetness.
William Alexander Heading variety history
This heirloom variety is from William Alexander of Columbia, North Carolina. Mr. Alexander is an African-American farmer who has saved seed all his life, since about 1940. He can’t recall where he first got the collard seed, though it was probably from his father. William likes the variety’s slight heading trait and selects for that when he saves seeds. In 2004, he gave some seeds of the variety 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 (PI 662816).
Seed Status:
This variety has been successfully regenerated and is available on The Exchange. Click the button below to request this seed from the Seed Savers Exchange Collection.
I would love to be a seed steward for the William Alexander Heading variety of collards. My Father was an avid gardener and always had a fall garden as well as a summer garden. He passed away in January from covid. I would not let my Mother mow his garden until the plants he had planted went to seed. I will plant these this fall in my garden and continue to save his seeds. I’m sure he bought his seeds at a feed store in or around Savannah, TN.
Thank you,
Connie Peck
Please email philip@seedsavers.org