Salvia fruticosa

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Asterids
Cladus: Lamiids
Ordo: Lamiales

Familia: Lamiaceae
Subfamilia: Nepetoideae
Tribus: Mentheae
Subtribus: Salviinae
Genus: Salvia
Subgenus: S. subg. Salvia
Sectio: S. sect. Salvia
Species: Salvia fruticosa
Name

Salvia fruticosa Mill., Gard. Dict. ed. 8: n.º 5 (1768).
Synonyms

Heterotypic
Salvia baccifera Etl., Salv.: 18 (1777).
Salvia clusii Jacq., Pl. Hort. Schoenbr. 2: 37 (1797).
Salvia cypria Unger & Kotschy, Ins. Cypern: 266 (1865).
Salvia fruticosa subsp. cypria (Unger & Kotschy) Holmboe, Bergens Mus. Skr., ser. 2, 1(2): 158 (1914).
Salvia incarnata Etl., Salv.: 25 (1777).
Salvia libanotica Boiss. & Gaill. in P.E.Boissier, Diagn. Pl. Orient., ser. 2, 4: 16 (1859).
Salvia triloba subsp. libanotica (Boiss. & Gaill.) Holmboe, Bergens Mus. Skr., ser. 2, 1(2): 158 (1914).
Salvia lobryana Azn., Magyar Bot. Lapok 1: 195 (1902).
Salvia marrubioides Vahl, Enum. Pl. Obs. 1: 223 (1804).
Salvia ovata F.Dietr., Nachtr. Vollst. Lex. Gärtn. 7: 465 (1821).
Salvia sipylea Lam., Tabl. Encycl. 1: 68 (1791). (as “Salvia sypilea”)
Salvia subtriloba Schrank, Syll. Pl. Nov. 2: 58 (1826).
Salvia thomasii Lacaita, Nuovo Giorn. Bot. Ital., n.s., 29: 186 (1922 publ. 1923).
Salvia fruticosa subsp. thomasii (Lacaita) Brullo, Guglielmo, Pavone & Terrasi, Inform. Bot. Ital. 26: 211 (1994 publ. 1995).
Salvia triloba L.f., Suppl. Pl.: 88 (1782).
Sclarea triloba (L.f.) Raf., Fl. Tellur. 3: 94 (1837).
Salvia triloba var. calpeana Dautez & Debeaux in J.O.Debeaux, Syn. Fl. Gibraltar: 161 (1889).
Salvia triloba subsp. calpeana (Dautez & Debeaux) P.Silva, Agron. Lusit. 20: 237 (1958).
Salvia triloba var. subhastata H.Lindb., Öfvers. Finska Vetensk.-Soc. Förh. 48(13): 94 (1906).

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Continental: Europe
Regional: Southwestern Europe
Corsica, Portugal, Spain (introduced).
Regional: Southeastern Europe
Albania, Greece,itzerland.html">Switzerland, Italy, Kriti, Sicilia (Malta (introduced), Sicily), Turkey-in-Europe.
Continental: Africa
Regional: Northern Africa
Algeria (introduced), Libya, Morocco (introduced)
Regional: Macaronesia
Canary Islands, Madeira (introduced).
Continental: Asia-Temperate
Regional: Western Asia
Cyprus, East Aegean Islands, Lebanon-Syria (Lebanon, Syria), Palestine (Israel), Turkey.

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References
Primary references

Miller, P. 1768. The Gardeners Dictionary: containing the best and newest methods of cultivating and improving the kitchen, fruit, flower garden, and nursery. Ed. 8, 3 volumes (without pagination), John & Francis Rivington, London. DOI: 10.5962/bhl.title.541 Reference page.

Additional references

Greuter, W., Burdet, H.M. & Long, G. (eds.) 1986. Med-Checklist. A critical inventory of vascular plants of the circum-mediterranean countries. Vol. 3: Dicotyledones (Convolvulaceae – Labiatae). cxxix + 395 pp., Conservatoire et Jardin Botanique, Genève, ISBN 2-8277-0153-7. Online version. Reference page.

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2022. Salvia fruticosa in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2022 May 10. Reference page.
Hassler, M. 2022. Salvia fruticosa. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2022. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published online. Accessed: 2022 May 10. Reference page.
Tropicos.org 2022. Salvia fruticosa. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 10 May 2022.
International Plant Names Index. 2022. Salvia fruticosa. Published online. Accessed: May 10 2022.

Vernacular names
Deutsch: Griechischer Salbei
Ελληνικά, Κυπριακά: Σάλβια η θαμνώδης, Σπατζιά
English: Greek sage, three-lobed sage
Nederlands: griekse salie
Türkçe: Anadolu ada çayı

Salvia fruticosa,[1] or Greek sage, is a perennial herb or sub-shrub[2] native to the eastern Mediterranean, including Southern Italy, the Canary Islands and North Africa. It is especially abundant in Israel/Palestine[3] and Lebanon.

Description

Greek sage grows 2 ft (0.61 m) high and wide, with the flower stalks rising 1 ft (0.30 m) or more above the foliage. The entire plant is covered with hairs, with numerous leaves of various sizes growing in clusters, giving it a silvery and bushy appearance. The flowers are pinkish-lavender, about .5 in (1.3 cm) long, growing in whorls along the inflorescence, and held in a small oxblood-red five-pointed hairy calyx. In its native environment it grows as part of the Maquis shrubland and several other open plant communities, but populations composed entirely of Salvia fruticosa are not uncommon.[3]

It is also grown as an ornamental flowering shrub, preferring full sun, well-draining soil, and good air circulation. Hardy to 20 degrees F., it is very drought resistant. The leaves have a high oil content, with some of the same chemicals as lavender.[3]
Taxonomy

Due its wide variation in leaf shape, there has been a great deal of taxonomic confusion over the years, with many of the leaf variations of Salvia fruticosa being named as distinct species. These include S. libanotica, S. triloba, S. lobryana, and S. cypria, which are now considered to be Salvia fruticosa.[4][5] The variation in leaf depends on geographical area, with plants growing on the western part of Crete having entire leaves with flat blade and margins and dark green upper sides. Plants growing on the eastern side of the island have much smaller leaves, with deeply three-lobed yellowish-green blade and undulate margins. The variation continues throughout different parts of Greece.[6]

Adding to the confusion over the name, the plant has also been called Salvia triloba, as named by Carl Linnaeus in 1781, until it was discovered that it was the same as the plant named by Philip Miller in 1768, with the earlier name receiving preference according to plant naming conventions.[3] Local names include sage apple, Khokh barri, and Na’ama Hobeiq’es-sedr.
Uses

It has a long tradition of use in Greece, where it is valued for its beauty, medicinal value, and culinary use, along with its sweet nectar and pollen. Salvia fruticosa was depicted in a Minoan fresco circa 1400 BCE at Knossos on the island of Crete.[3] The ancient Phoenicians and Greeks likely introduced the plant for cultivation to the Iberian peninsula, with remnant populations of these introduced plants still found in some coastal areas.[6] Greek sage accounts for 50–95% of the dried sage sold in North America,[7][8] and is grown commercially for its essential oil.[9] It also has a long tradition of use in various Muslim rituals—for newborn children, at weddings, in funerals, and burnt as incense.[10] A cross between S. fruticosa and Salvia officinalis developed in the middle east is called "silver leaf sage" or Salvia" Newe Ya'ar'", and is used in cooking.[11][12]

In its native habitat, it frequently develops woolly galls about 1 inch in diameter which are called 'apples'. These 'apples' are peeled and eaten when they are soft, and are described as being fragrant, juicy, and tasty.[3] The formation of galls was originally thought to be limited to Salvia pomifera,[13] which led to the misidentification of many gall-bearing Salvia fruticosa plants.[14] In 2001 it was discovered that the galls on Salvia fruticosa were caused by a previously undiscovered genus of Cynipid gall wasp.[15]
References

USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Salvia fruticosa". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
Near the limits of its cold-hardiness, woody stems of Salvia fruticosa may die back almost to the ground.
Clebsch, Betsy; Barner, Carol D. (2003). The New Book of Salvias. Timber Press. pp. 125–127. ISBN 978-0-88192-560-9.
"A number of taxa described from the E Mediterranean are nowadays considered as synonyms of Salvia fruticosa (Greuter & al. 1986). Their original descriptions suggest that they are characterized either by three lobed leaves (S. triloba L. fil.), or very small leaves (S. libanotica Boiss & Gaill.; S. cypria Kotschy; S. lobryana Aznav.)." Karousou, Regina; Stella Kokkini (September 1999). "Distribution and clinal variation of Salvia fruticosa Mill. (Labiatae)". Biochemical Systematics and Ecology. 27 (6): 559–568. doi:10.1016/S0305-1978(98)00122-7.
Kintzios, pp. 35–36.
Kintzios, Spiridon E. (2000). Sage: The Genus Salvia. CRC Press. pp. 30–31. ISBN 978-90-5823-005-8.
Hanson, Beth (2004). Designing an Herb Garden. Brooklyn Botanic Garden. p. 58. ISBN 978-1-889538-63-1.
"Salvia fruticosa". Plants for a Future. Retrieved 2009-01-23.
Länger, R.; Mechtler, Ch.; Jurenitsch, J. (12-04-1998). "Composition of the Essential Oils of Commercial Samples of Salvia officinalis L. and S. fruticosa Miller: A Comparison of Oils Obtained by Extraction and Steam Distillation". Phytochemical Analysis. 7 (6): 289–293. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1099-1565(199611)7:6<289::AID-PCA318>3.0.CO;2-7. Archived from the original on 2013-01-05. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
Dafni, Amots; Efraim Lev; Sabine Beckmann; Christian Eichberger (09-10-2006). "Ritual plants of Muslim graveyards in northern Israel". Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. 2 (38): 38. doi:10.1186/1746-4269-2-38. PMC 1584233. PMID 16961931. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
"Salvia officinalis x Salvia fruticosa" (PDF). Promising Plants Profiles. The Herb Society of America. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
Joan Benjamin; Erin Hynes (1 May 1996). Great garden shortcuts: 100s of all-new tips and techniques that guarantee you'll save time, save money, save work. Rodale Press. p. 158. ISBN 978-0-87596-702-8. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
Salvia pomifera, "apple-bearing sage".
Tsekos, Ioannes; Michael Moustakas (1998). Progress in Botanical Research. Springer. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-7923-5305-8.
Zerova, Marina Dmitrievna; Ludmila Yakovlevna Seryogina; George Melika; Tomáš Pavlicek; Eviatar Nevo (2003). "New Genus and New Species of Cynipid Gall Inducing Wasp" (PDF). Journal of the Entomological Research Society. 5 (1): 35–49.