Salvia lyrata
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| iSalvia lyrata | ||||||||||||||
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| Salvia lyrata L. |
Salvia lyrata (Lyre-leafed Sage), is a species of sage native to the eastern United States, from Connecticut west to Kansas, and south to Florida and Texas.
It is a herbaceous perennial plant with low growing leaves and flowering stems growing to 50 cm tall. The leaves are arranged in a basal rosette of large leaves, and smaller leaves in opposite pairs on the erect flowering stem. The basal leaves are up to 15 cm long and 5 cm broad, with several lobes, some approximating to the shape of a lyre, from which the species is named. The flowers are pale blue, up to 25 mm long. The species is often a lawn weed that self seeds into lawns and is tolerant of being mowed.
[edit] Cultivation and uses
It is sometimes grown in gardens for its attractive foliage and flowers. Several cultivars have been developed with purple leaves. Two readily available seed raised cultivars include:
- 'Purple Prince' - Grows about 35 cm tall with reddish purple colored veins and dark purple spikes with small lilac colored flowers in dark purple calyces.
- 'Purple Volcano' - Grows about 35 cm tall with dark purple leaves that have a shiny sheen to them. The flowers are light blue in color.
