Jerusalem salvia is a low, mound-forming evergreen perennial sage from the eastern Mediterranean, grown for its hairy mid-green leaves and small wine-red flowers. It does best in open, well-drained, sunny sites with little water once established.
Family
Lamiaceae (Mint family)
Grows as
Perennial
Light
Full sun
Water
Water sparingly and let the soil dry between waterings; overwatering causes root rot.
Soil
Lean, sandy or gritty, very well-drained soil; tolerates rocky ground.
Temperature
10–30 °C; protect below about 0 °C
How easy
Easy
Native range
E. Medit.
Climate
subtropical
About
Salvia hierosolymitana is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is a herbaceous perennial commonly called Jerusalem salvia or Jerusalem sage that is native to the eastern Mediterranean, with populations in Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank. It typically grows in open fields, rocky soils, and among low-growing native shrubs. It was first described in 1853 by botanist Pierre Edmond Boissier, with the epithet "hierosolymitana" referring to "royal, sacred Jerusalem".
It forms a mound of basal leaves that spreads to 2 ft (0.6 m), and slightly less in height. The ovate mid-green leaves are evergreen, lightly covered with hairs, and with a scalloped margin, growing 8–10 in (20–25 cm) long with prominent veining underneath. The 1 in or smaller flowers are a wine-red color, growing in widely spaced whorls, with 2–6 flowers per whorl.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Salvia hierosolymitana by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.