''Salvia fruticosa'', or Greek sage, is a perennial herb or sub-shrub native to the
eastern Mediterranean
The Eastern Mediterranean is a loosely delimited region comprising the easternmost portion of the Mediterranean Sea, and well as the adjoining land—often defined as the countries around the Levantine Sea. It includes the southern half of Turkey ...
, including
Southern Italy
Southern Italy (, , or , ; ; ), also known as () or (; ; ; ), is a macroregion of Italy consisting of its southern Regions of Italy, regions.
The term "" today mostly refers to the regions that are associated with the people, lands or cultu ...
, the
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...
and
North Africa
North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...
. It is especially abundant in Palestine, Israel
and Lebanon.
Description
Greek sage grows high and wide, with the flower stalks rising 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 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
220px, Low maquis in Corsica
220px, High ''macchia'' in Sardinia
( , , ) or ( , ; often in Italian; , ; ; ; ) is a savanna-like shrubland biome in the Mediterranean region, typically consisting of densely growing evergreen shrubs.
Maquis ...
and several other open plant communities, but populations composed entirely of ''Salvia fruticosa'' are not uncommon.
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
''Lavandula'' (common name lavender) is a genus of 47 known species of perennial flowering plants in the sage family, Lamiaceae. It is native plant, native to the Old World, primarily found across the drier, warmer regions of the Mediterranean ...
.
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''. 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.
Adding to the confusion over the name, the plant has also been called ''Salvia triloba'', as named by
Carl Linnaeus the Younger
Carl Linnaeus the Younger, Carolus Linnaeus the Younger, Carl von Linné den yngre ( Swedish; abbreviated Carl von Linné d. y.), or ''Linnaeus filius'' (Latin for ''Linnaeus the son''; abbreviated L.fil. (outdated) or L.f. (modern) as a botani ...
in 1781, until it was discovered that it was the same as the plant named by
Philip Miller
Philip Miller Royal Society, FRS (1691 – 18 December 1771) was an English botany, botanist and gardener of Scottish descent. Miller was chief gardener at the Chelsea Physic Garden for nearly 50 years from 1722, and wrote the highly popular ...
in 1768, with the earlier name receiving preference according to plant naming conventions.
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
The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age culture which was centered on the island of Crete. Known for its monumental architecture and Minoan art, energetic art, it is often regarded as the first civilization in Europe. The ruins of the Minoan pa ...
fresco circa 1400 BCE at
Knossos
Knossos (; , ; Linear B: ''Ko-no-so'') is a Bronze Age archaeological site in Crete. The site was a major centre of the Minoan civilization and is known for its association with the Greek myth of Theseus and the minotaur. It is located on th ...
on the island of Crete.
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.
Greek sage accounts for 50–95% of the
dried sage sold in North America, and is grown commercially for its essential oil. It also has a long tradition of use in various Muslim rituals—for newborn children, at weddings, in funerals, and burnt as incense. 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.
In its native habitat, it frequently develops woolly
gall
Galls (from the Latin , 'oak-apple') or ''cecidia'' (from the Greek , anything gushing out) are a kind of swelling growth on the external tissues of plants. Plant galls are abnormal outgrowths of plant tissues, similar to benign tumors or war ...
s 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.
The formation of galls was originally thought to be limited to ''Salvia pomifera'', which led to the misidentification of many gall-bearing ''Salvia fruticosa'' plants. In 2001 it was discovered that the galls on ''Salvia fruticosa'' were caused by a previously undiscovered genus of Cynipid
gall wasp
Gall wasps, also traditionally called gallflies, are hymenopterans of the family Cynipidae in the wasp superfamily Cynipoidea. Their common name comes from the galls they induce on plants for larval development. About 1,300 species of this gene ...
.
In Ottoman Palestine, the flower's pollen was harvested by honey bees in the production of honey.
References
External links
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q864698
fruticosa
Flora of North Africa
Flora of Greece
Flora of the East Aegean Islands
Flora of Turkey
Flora of Crete
Flora of Israel
Flora of Cyprus
Flora of Syria
Flora of Africa
Flora of Croatia
Flora of Albania
Flora of Italy
Flora of Lebanon
Flora of Sicily
Matorral shrubland
Flora of Palestine (region)
Eastern Mediterranean
Flora of Malta
Melliferous flowers