Salvia verticillata

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Salvia verticillata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Salvia
Species:
S. verticillata
Binomial name
Salvia verticillata

Salvia verticillata, the lilac sage[1] or whorled clary, is a herbaceous perennial native to a wide area ranging from central Europe to western Asia, and naturalized in northern Europe and North America. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753.[2]

Salvia verticillata has a leafy base of mid-green leaves covered with hairs, putting up leaf-covered stems that carry 3 feet (0.91 m) inflorescences. The tiny lavender flowers grow tightly packed in whorls, with tiny lime-green and purple calyces. The specific epithet verticillata refers to the whorls that grow in verticils. A cultivar introduced in the 1990s, 'Purple Rain', is much more showy and long-blooming, growing about 2 feet (0.61 m) tall.[2]

References[edit]

  1. ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Salvia verticillata". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  2. ^ a b Clebsch, Betsy; Barner, Carol D. (2003). The New Book of Salvias. Timber Press. p. 298. ISBN 978-0-88192-560-9.