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Salvia viridis

Common name: Clary Family: Labiatae
Author: L. Botanical references: 50
Synonyms: Salvia horminum (L.)
Known Hazards: None known
Range: S. Europe.
Habitat: Rocky places and other dry habitats, always on limestone[45, 89].
Edibility Rating (1-5): 2Medicinal Rating (1-5):2

Other Possible Synonyms:From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
S. horminium[E]
Other Common Names:From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
Annual Clary [L], Bluebeard [E], Orminon [E], Painted Sage [H], Red-topped Sage [H], Salvia Bluebeard [H],
Epithets:From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
viridis = green
Systematics:From a USDA Plants Database
Order: Lamiales. Renamed to Lamiaceae -- Mint family
Other Range Info: From the Ethnobotany Database
Arabia Mediterranean

Physical Characteristics

Annual growing to 0.5m by 0.2m . . It is in flower from June to August. 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.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

Condiment Leaves Seed.

Leaves - raw or cooked[183]. They are very aromatic and are added to salads, soups and cooked greens[177, 183]. They are also used as a flavouring[2, 105, 177].
Seed - cooked or used as a flavouring[183].
The leaves and the seeds, when added to fermenting liquors, greatly increase the potency of the brew[4].
An essential oil is obtained from the plant and is used for flavouring certain beers and wines[183, 238].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antiseptic Aromatic.

The leaves and flowering stems are aromatic and antiseptic[238]. They make a good gargle for treating sore gums[4].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Requires a very well-drained light sandy soil in a sunny position[108, 200]. Prefers a rich soil[1]. Plants can be killed by excessive winter wet[200].
The plant is strongly aromatic[200]. The flowers can be air-dried and used as everlasting flowers[200].
A good bee plant[46].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[233].

Propagation

Seed - sow March/April in a greenhouse[200]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in early summer.

Scent

Leaves: Crushed
The leaves are strongly aromatic.

Suppliers

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

Web References

References for Salvia horminium (a possible synonym). References for Salvia horminum (a possible synonym).
  • [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
References for salvia horminum (a possible synonym).

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]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[45] Polunin. O. Flowers of Greece and the Balkans. Oxford University Press 1980 ISBN 0-19-217626-9
A good pocket flora, it also lists quite a few plant uses.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[50] ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964
An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.

[89] Polunin. O. and Huxley. A. Flowers of the Mediterranean. Hogarth Press 1987 ISBN 0-7012-0784-1
A very readable pocket flora that is well illustrated. Gives some information on plant uses.

[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.

[108] International Bee Research Association. Garden Plants Valuable to Bees. International Bee Research Association. 1981
The title says it all.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[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.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

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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