SALVIA CANADENSIS. 117 



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SALYIA CANADENSIS 



Canadian Sage. 

 Linnean Class— Didynamia. Order— Gymnospermia. Natural Order— Labiate. 



The Florist who estimates the value of a plant by the size of its individual 

 blossoms, may be inclined, on a first glance at our figure, to regard the Salvia 

 Canadensis as of little moment. This impression would, however, speedily be 

 removed were a strong plant in full bloom brought beneath his notice, though 

 it cannot claim to rank with some of the inter-tropical species, such as patens, 

 fulgens, splendens, and some others. But if its flowers are of more modest 

 dimensions, and its tints less brilliant than in those species, it is, as might 

 be inferred from its northerly origin, much hardier, and commences flowering 

 several weeks earlier. 



"We might even take higher ground, for, although its blossoms are small, they are 

 produced so abundantly, that when the plant has become strong, a considerable 

 mass of bloom is presented to the eye ; the terminal spikes are generally a foot 

 or more long, and the whole length of the stem is ^clothed with lateral shoots, 

 each of which bears a spike of flowers. 



Our specimen is about three feet high, but in strong soil an established plant 

 will exceed this. It is of an erect branching habit and exhibits the square 

 stem and opposite leaves peculiar to the Lipworts. The latter are of a narrow 

 elliptical form, blunt at the tip, edged with roundish teeth, and almost stalkless or 

 sessile ; they present the rugose, or wrinkled surface, so common in this genus, and 

 the midrib is often stained with bright purple. The flowers are produced in long 

 spikes composed of from ten to forty whorls of six blossoms each, arranged in threes, 

 with two broad purplish bracts beneath each verticil. The upper lip of the 

 calyx is minutely three toothed, the lower one deeply two-cleft. The shape of 

 the corolla is pretty acurately shown in our figure, but the middle lobe of the 

 lower lip has its margin more reflexed inwards, in a cucullate form. Its 

 colour is a delicate violet blue, or puce, and when seen in a mass the effect is 

 extremely pleasing. Externally, both corolla and calyx appear studded with 

 minute white points, which under the Stanhope lens assume the form of whitish 

 opaque glands, containing an essential oil, to which the black currant-like odour of 

 the flowers and foliage is due. The whole plant, but especially the stem, is clothed 

 with a short, whitish pubescence. 



Its cultivation is that of most herbaceous plants of this class — the soil it most 

 affects being a strong rich loam. We have, however, grown it in light sandy 



