413 



The first is a branching shrub, about two feet in height: the 

 younger branches are tomentosc and whitish: the leaves are wrinkled, 

 cinereous white or tinged with dusky purple, on very short petioles, 

 sometimes eared at the base: the flowers terminating, in long spikes 

 composed of six-flowered whorls, approximating, yet distinct. It is 

 a native of the south of Europe and Barbary. 



The varieties are: the Common Green Sage, the Wormwood 

 Sage, the Green Sage with a- variegaled leaf, the Red Sage, the Red 

 Sage with a variegaled leaf, the Painted or Parli-eoloured Sage with 

 red leaves striped with white, or white, red, and green mixed, found, 

 says Johnson, " in a country garden by Mr. John Tradescant, and 

 by him imparted to other lovers of plants." There is also Spanish 

 or Lavender-leaved Sage, in which the leaves are linear-lanceolate, 

 very narrow and quite entire, in clusters on the side of the stalks; 

 they are very hoary, and the branches are covered with a hoary 

 down: the leaves on the upper part of the stalk are narrower than 

 those of Rosemary ; the flowers grow in closer spikes, and are of a 

 light blue colour. 



But the variety with red or blackish leaves is the most common 

 in cultivation: and the Wormwood Sage is in greater plenty than 

 the Common Green-leaved Sage. 



In the second species the stalks do not grow so upright as those 

 of the Common Sage; they are very hairy, and divide into several 

 branches: the leaves are broad, woolly, on long pelioles, serrate, and 

 rough on the upper surface: the leaves on the flower-stalks are 

 oblong-ovalc, on shorter pelioles, and very slightly serrale: (he 

 whorls are pretty far distant, and few flowers in each; they arc of a 

 pale blue, and about the same size with those of the common sort. 

 It flowers in June, and in good seasons the seeds ripen in autumn. 

 This sage is preferred to all the others for tea* It is often called 

 Balsamic Sage. 



The third has the leaves narrower than those of the common sort; 

 they are hoary, and some of them are indented on their edges to- 

 wards the base, which indentures have the appearance of ears. The 

 spikes of flowers are longer than those of the two preceding sorts', 



