''Salvia viridis'' (annual clary, orval) is an

annual plant An annual plant is a plant that completes its life cycle, from germination to the production of seeds, within one growing season, and then dies. Globally, 6% of all plant species and 15% of herbaceous plants (excluding trees and shrubs) are ...

native to an area extending from the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

to the

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

and into

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

Taxonomy

''Salvia viridis'' was known as ''Salvia horminum'' for many years, as

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

described ''S. viridis'' and ''S. horminum'' as separate species in 1753. Some modern

botanist Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

s still believe that they are two separate species. * ''viridis'', from the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

, refers to the color green, with implications of youth and vigor. * ''horminum'', from the Greek word for sage.

Description

''Salvia viridis'' quickly grows to tall and 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.

Uses

The seeds and leaves of ''Salvia viridis'' have been added to fermenting vats to "greatly increase the inebriating quality of the liquor."''A Modern Herbal'', M. Grieve and C. F. Lyel. An infusion of the leaves was used for sore gums, and powdered leaves for snuff. It was also reported to be a good honey-producing plant.

Cultivation

''Salvia viridis'' is cultivated as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...

, planted in

garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...

s. The flowers last well as

cut flowers Cut flowers are flowers and flower buds (often with some Plant stem, stem and leaf) that have been cut from the plant bearing it. It is removed from the plant for decorative use. Cut greens are leaves with or without stems added to the cut flow ...

or dried flowers. The plant prefers friable soil, good drainage, moderate water, and three-quarters to a full day of sunlight. In the UK, seed can be sown in late March in a greenhouse or directly into the border after the last frost.

References

External links

Flora Europaea: ''Salvia viridis''
* viridis Flora of Europe Flora of Lebanon Flora of Ukraine Flora of the Crimean Peninsula Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Garden plants of Asia Garden plants of Europe {{Salvia-stub