Practical
Plants

Salvia japonica

a perennial member of the Salvia genus in the family Labiatae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Labiatae
Genus
Salvia
Life cycle
perennial
Height
0.75 m
Spread
8 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Children suck the flowers (for the sweet nectar?)[2][5]. The leaves are used as a flavouring, they are a sage substitute[4].

Plant part
Flowers

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

A black dye is obtained from the plant, probably from the flowers[3].

Environment

Range
E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea..
Habitat
Woods and thickets in hills and mountains, C. and S. Japan[8].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 8+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow March/April in a greenhouse[6]. Germination usually takes place within 2 weeks. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in early summer. In areas where the plant is towards the limits of its hardiness, it is best to grow the plants on in a greenhouse for their first winter and plant them out in late spring of the following year. Cuttings of half-ripe wood succeed at almost any time in the growing season[6].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Requires a very well-drained light sandy soil in a sunny position[6]. Prefers a rich soil[1]. This species is not hardy in the colder areas of the country, it tolerates temperatures down to between -5 and -10°c[6]. Plants can be killed by excessive winter wet[6]. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[7].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩

  2. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

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  3. Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre

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  4. Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977-00-00

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  5. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

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  6. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  7. Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0 460 86048 8

    ↩

  8. Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965-00-00

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