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Wild clary

Salvia verbenaca

Also called Verbena sage, Vervain sage, Wild sage

Wild clary
Photo: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0

Salvia verbenaca is a tall, hairy-stemmed perennial herb of the mint family, native to Mediterranean and western European grasslands and widely naturalized elsewhere. It is grown mainly as a wildflower for pollinators, and it does best in sunny, well-drained sites.

Family
Lamiaceae (Mint family)
Grows as
Perennial
Light
Full sun
Water
Water sparingly once established; allow soil to dry between waterings.
Soil
Poor to average, free-draining soil; tolerates chalky or stony ground.
Temperature
Hardy in mild temperate climates; protect from prolonged hard frost.
How easy
Easy
Edible
Yes, some parts
Native range
Macaronesia, W. Europe to Medit. and Caucasus, Eritrea
Climate
temperate

About

Salvia verbenaca, also known as wild clary or wild sage, is native to the British Isles, the Mediterranean region in Southern Europe, North Africa, and Near East, and in the Caucasus. It can be found as an introduced species that has naturalized in many parts of the world, including the eastern United States, California, Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, southern Africa, Australia, New Zealand and China.

S. verbenaca is a tall perennial herb with hairy stems and branches that erectly sprawl out. Its leaves are basal and toothed and vary from 3 to 10 cm (1.2 to 3.9 in) long. It has soft purple to violet flowers in mid summer. It is in flower from June to September, and the seeds ripen from July to October. The flowers are bisexual and are pollinated by bees. Some are also cleistogamous and pollinate themselves.

Other Salvia plants

Egyptian Sage · Mediterranean sage · White sage · Brown Sage · Santa Rosa Island sage · Buchanan's Sage · Guatemalan Leaf Sage · Candelabra Sage · Cayman sage · Fragrant sage · Blood sage · Chia

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Salvia verbenaca 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.

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