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Salvia carnosa

Common name:	Purple Sage	Family:	Labiatae
Author:	Douglas.	Botanical references:	71, 200
Synonyms:	Salvia dorrii incana ((Benth.)Strachan.), Salvia dorrii carnosa ((Dougl.)Abrams.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	South-western N. America.
Habitat:	Dry slopes and flats, 1000 - 1500 metres in California[71].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	S. dorrii ssp. carnosa[B,P] S. dorrii ssp. dorrii var. incana[P] S. dorrii ssp. incana[] S. dorrii var. carnosa[B,P] S. dorrii var. incana[B]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Purple Sage [E,P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	carnosa = fleshy
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Lamiales. Renamed to Lamiaceae -- Mint family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Us(Amerindian)

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen shrub growing to 0.75m. It is hardy to zone 7. It is in leaf all year, in flower from July to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees. We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Cultivated Beds, Sunny Edge.

Edible Uses

Seed.

Seed - cooked. Ground into a powder and used to thicken soups etc or added to cereal flours when making bread etc[105].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Analgesic Antispasmodic Febrifuge Pectoral Stomachic.

A decoction of the seeds and stems is used to treat colds[61].
A decoction or infusion of the leaves has been used in the treatment of fevers, coughs, colds and stomach aches[257]. A poultice of the crushed leaves has been applied tot he chest to treat congestion[257]. A decoction of the leaves and stems can be drunk, used as a wash or as a steam bath in the treatment of headaches[257].
A decoction of the flowering stems has been used as a poultice and a wash to treat swollen leg veins[257].
The plant is much valued as a treatment for an epileptic or faint person, either administered as a drink or prepared like tobacco and the smoke blown into the patients face[216, 257].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Requires a very well-drained light sandy soil in a sunny position[200]. Prefers a rich soil[1]. Soils rich in nitrogen encourage excessive leaf growth at the expense of flowering[11].
Plants can be killed by excessive winter wet[200].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[233].

Propagation

Seed - sow March/April in a greenhouse[200]. Germination usually takes place within 2 weeks. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in early summer. In areas where the plant is towards the limits of its hardiness, it is best to grow the plants on in a greenhouse for their first winter and plant them out in late spring of the following year.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood succeed at almost any time in the growing season[200].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Salvia dorrii ssp. dorrii var. incana (a possible synonym).

[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for Salvia dorrii var. incana (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[71] Munz. A California Flora. University of California Press 1959
An excellent flora but no pictures. Not for the casual reader.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[216] Whiting. A. F. Ethnobotany of the Hopi North Arizona Society of Science and Art 1939
A very good guide the the plant uses of the N. American Hopi Indians.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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