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Salvia microphylla

Common name:	Blackcurrant Sage	Family:	Labiatae
Author:	Kunth.	Botanical references:	200
Synonyms:	Salvia grahamii (Benth.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Southern N. America - Mexico to Guatemala.
Habitat:	Not known
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	S. neurepia[E,H]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Baby Sage [B,P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	microphylla = small leaved
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Lamiales. Renamed to Lamiaceae -- Mint family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Mexico

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen perennial growing to 1.2m by 1m . It is hardy to zone 8 and is frost tender. It is in leaf all year, in flower from August to October. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees. It is noted for attracting wildlife. We rate it 2/5 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.

Edible Uses

Condiment Tea.

The leaves have a pleasant scent of blackcurrant and can be used fresh or dried as a flavouring.
A herbal tea, called 'mirot de montes', is made from the leaves[260].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Febrifuge.

An infusion of the flowers and leaves have been used in the treatment of fevers[238].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Requires a very well-drained light sandy soil in a warm sunny position[200]. Prefers a rich soil[1]. Plants can be killed by excessive winter wet[200].
This species is rather variable with a number of sub-species and cultivars of differing hardiness[200, 260]. The hardiest forms tolerate temperatures down to about -10° c[260] and can be grown outdoors in the mildest areas of the country, though they are probably best grown in a cold greenhouse. When grown outdoors, the top growth will be cut back to the ground in cold winters but, if the roots are given a good mulch in the autumn, plants will often survive the winter outdoors and resprout freely from the base in the spring[200].
The flowers are very attractive to bees, providing a good source of nectar[61].
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].

Cultivars

'': No entries have been made for this species yet.

Suppliers

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

Web References

[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.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for Salvia grahamii (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database

References for Salvia neurepia (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

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]).

[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.

[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.

[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.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[260] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Pan Books, London. 1998 ISBN 0-330-37376-5
Excellent photos of over 1,100 species and cultivars with habits and cultivation details plus a few plant uses. Many species are too tender for outdoors in Britain though there are many that can be grown outside.

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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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