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Salvia tingitana
Also called Medina Sage, Sphinxsage
Lost Clary is a perennial salvia that forms an upright mound about 60 cm tall and wide, with pale lime-green leaves and bicolored lavender and pale yellow flowers. Its key to success is full sun, lean well-draining soil, and not overwatering.
Salvia tingitana (lost clary) is an herbaceous perennial in the family Lamiaceae. It has a long and enigmatic history—it has been grown and described since the 17th century without any certainty about its origin. Botanists' speculation that it was native to northern Africa is reflected in the specific epithet tingitana, which refers to the town of "Tingi" (now called Tangiers), even though no native plants have ever been found there. It was not until 1989 that a wild population of the plant was discovered, in western Saudi Arabia. The plant is regarded as a rather strong mosquito repellent commonly used in traditional medicine of Behbahan where it blooms around March.
S. tingitana prefers at least five hours of sunlight per day, well-draining soil that is not too rich, and regular watering. Minimal care is required—only light pruning and no staking. It can survive temperatures as low as 20 °F (−7 °C) for short periods. Plants are typically propagated through seeds, though cuttings taken in late summer can also be used. It takes up to one year for the plant to become established, not blooming until the second year. The lime-green leaves, shapely upright habit, and profuse flowering make it a useful addition to perennial flower beds.
At various times in its long history Salvia tingitana has been associated with Egypt, Syria, Aleppo, Tunis, and Tangier, without any definitive source of its origin or native populations. In 1989 the first wild population of S. tingitana was discovered in western Saudi Arabia by English botanist Sheila Collenette. Two other salvia species have a similar obscure historical origin, with no known wild provenance. S. divinorum grows in a very limited area of Mexico, where it has been cultivated for centuries by the Mazatec Indians for its psychotropic properties. S. buchaninii has been grown in horticulture for many years, with all known plants descending from a single plant grown in a Mexico City garden.
Turkish Black Sage · Wuyi Mountain Sage · Salvia adoxoides · Egyptian Sage · Orange Sage · Mediterranean sage · African Blue Sage · Salvia alatipetiolata · Cederberg Sage · Handsome Sage · Algerian Sage · Salvia amethystina
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Salvia tingitana 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.
