Salvia hierosolymitana

Salvia hierosolymitana
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Salvia
Species: S. hierosolymitana
Binomial name
Salvia hierosolymitana
Boiss.

Salvia hierosolymitana, the Jerusalem salvia or Jerusalem sage, is a herbaceous perennial native to the eastern Mediterranean, with populations in Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank.[1][2] 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, 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 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. The lower lip is white, with wine-red spotting. The calyces are pea-green with red veins and bracts edged in red. The square stem of the 1 ft long inflorescences are also edged in red. Unlike many salvias, there is no odor when the leaves are crushed, and there is no known medicinal use of this plant.[3]

Male digger bee (Anthophora dufourii) pollinating Salvia hierosolymitana, Mount Carmel, Israel

Notes

  1. "Salvia hierosolymitana Boiss.". GRIN Taxonomy for Plants. USDA Germplasm Resources Information Network. 10 July 2001. Retrieved 2 August 2010.
  2. Ali-Shtayeh, Mohammed S; Rana M Jamous; et al. (2008). "Traditional knowledge of wild edible plants used in Palestine (Northern West Bank): A comparative study". Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. BioMed Central Ltd. 4 (13): 13. PMC 2396604Freely accessible. PMID 18474107. doi:10.1186/1746-4269-4-13. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
  3. Clebsch, Betsy; Barner, Carol D. (2003). The New Book of Salvias. Timber Press. p. 145. ISBN 978-0-88192-560-9.
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