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Salvia Aurea. Golden Sage. 



»jM*M : »»fr**** ♦'*♦♦♦♦♦ 



Oafs and Order. 

 Decandria Monogynia. 



Generic CbaracJer. 

 Cor. inasqualis. Filamenia tranfverfe pedicello affixa. 



Specific Character and Synonyms* 

 SALVIA aurea foliis fubrotundis integernmis, bafi truncatis 



dentatis. Linn. Syft. Veget. ed. 14. Mtirr. p. ft* 



Ait. Hort. Kezv. V. 1. />. 45. 

 SALVIA Africana frutcfcens folio fubrotundo glauco, flore 



mag no aureo. Comm. Hort. 2. 183. /. 92. 



Such as are delighted with the lingular rather than the 

 beautiful appearances of plants, cannot fail of ranking the 

 prefent fpecies of fage among their favourites. 



It has been called aurea, from the colour of its flowers, 



ferruginea would perhaps have been more expreffive of them; 



when they firft open indeed they are of a yellow colour, but 



they quickly and conftantly become of the colour of rufty iron. 



The leaves are nearly round, and have a pleaiing filvery 

 hue ; a few of them only, and thofe chiefly at the extremities 

 of the young {hoots, are of the form defcribed by Linn.eus 

 in his fpecific character of the plant, and hence Commelix's 

 defcription (vid. Syn.) is to be preferred, as leading us with 

 more certainty to a knowledge of the plant ; the colour of 

 the leaves, the colour and unufual magnitude of the bloifoms, 

 are indifputably the mod Unking features of the fpecies, and 

 therefore to be reforted to : for my own part, as a friend to 

 the advancement of the fcience, rather than as the follower 

 of this or that great man, I fee no good reafon why colour 

 mould not in many inltances, efpecially where expreffive 

 chara&ers are wanting, form a part of the fpecific chara&er 

 in plants, as well as in animals : we are told indeed of its 

 inconftancy. I would afk — who ever faw the colour of the 

 leaves or bloffoms of the prefent plant to vary I and, on the 

 contrary, who ever faw its leaves conftant in their form ? 



The Salvia aurea is a native of the Cape, and was culti- 

 vated by Mr. Miller in 1.731, it is a hardy greenhoufe 

 plant, is readily propagated by cuttings, and flowers from 

 May to November. 



If fuffered to grow, it will become a fhrub of the height 

 of fix orfevenieet. 



