Salvia viridis

Plant Characteristics

Habit		herbaceous
Height:	⇕	12 in"in" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 12. to 24 in"in" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 24.
Width:	⇔	12 in"in" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 12.
Lifespan:	⌛	annual

Cultivation

Exposure:	☼	sun
USDA Zones:		8 to 10
Flower features:	❀	red, blue, purple, pink, white

Scientific Names

Lamiaceae >

Salvia >

viridis >

Salvia viridis (Annual Clary, Orval) is an annual plant native to an area extending from the Mediterranean to the Crimea and into Iran. It was known as Salvia horminum for many years, since Carl Linnaeus described S. viridis and S. horminum as separate species in 1753. Some modern botanist still believe that they are two separate species. viridis, from the Greek, refers to the color green, with implications of youth and vigor. horminum is Greek for sage.

Salvia viridis quickly grows to 1 to 2 ft tall and 1 ft m wide, with a flowering period of over a month. Colorful bracts almost hide the tiny two-lipped flowers, which are cream-colored, with the upper lip tinged with purple or rose, reflecting the bract color. The flowers last well as cut flowers or dried flowers. The plant prefers friable soil, good drainage, moderate water, and three-quarters to a full day of sunlight. Seed can be sown in late March in a greenhouse or directly into the border after the last frost.

Read about Salvia viridis in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Salvia horminum, Linn. Annual, about 1 1/2 ft. high: st. herbaceous, erect, villous: lvs. petiolate, oval-oblong, base rotund or cuneate, obtuse, crenate, villous; floral lvs. very broad, acute, persistent, the upper ones variously colored: racemes simple; floral whorls distant, about 6-fld.; calyx tubular, pubescent; corolla light lilac or pale violet to reddish violet or purple. June-Aug. S. Eu. Var. alba, Hort., has white floral lvs. Var. purpurea, Hort., misspelled purpureum (S. Horminum var. rubra, Hort.), has bright carmine-red to brilliant purple-red floral lvs. darker veined. Var. violacea, Hort. (S. Bluebeard, Hort.), has light violet-blue floral lvs. somewhat larger and darker veined. Var. vulgaris, Hort., has violet-blue floral lvs., with darker veins. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Cultivation

Gallery

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

• w:Salvia viridis. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
• Salvia viridis QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)