Practical
Plants

Salvia tomentosa

Balsamic Sage

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
1 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

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

The leaves are used as a condiment[1][3]. A tea is made from the plant[3]. In England this tea used to be preferred to that of all other sage teas[3].

Product or use
Condiment
Product or use
Tea

Environment

Range
E. Europe to W. Asia.
Habitat
Often found with Pinus brutia, Pinus nigra and Quercus pubescens in macchie, on limestone or igneous slopes to 2000 metres in Turkey[6].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 6+
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[4]. 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[4].

Cultivation

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

Requires a well-drained soil in a sunny position[2]. As hardy as the common sage, S. officinalis[2], to which it is closely related[4]. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[5].

References

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

    ↩

  2. Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-7195-5043-2

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩

  6. Davis. P. H. Flora of Turkey. Edinburgh University Press 1965-00-00

    ↩

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