Descriptive Flora 



187 



Probably the commonest of these is Salvia splendens, a border 

 plant and a native of Brazil. A Salvia of great economic im- 

 portance is the common sage, Salvia officinalis, the leaves of 

 which are used for flavoring. 



Salvia farinaceae Benth. Blue Sage. 



A handsome wayside plant massing a glorious blue along the 

 highways. Square-stemmed plants branched at the root and 

 bearing whorls of tubular, 2-lipped, blue flowers at intervals 

 along the upper part of the long, greyish, leafless stems. Leaves 

 simple, opposite. Blades usually oblong-lanceolate, wavy or 

 slightly and coarsely saw-toothed. Calyx pale blue, bluish or 

 ashy white, square across the top, ribbed and covered with minute 

 fine hairs. Corolla violet, 2-lipped. Upper lip hooded, densely 

 bearded with violet hairs on the back. Lower lip broad, spread- 

 ing, 3-lobed, the middle lobes largest and notched, usually marked 

 with 2 white bars within the tube. April, May and June. In 

 dry, rocky soil, mostly in pastures and along railroad tracks and 

 roadsides. 



Salvia b allot ae flora Benth. Shrubby Sage. "Mejorano". 



Shrub with light, brittle, square stems and blue 2-lipped 

 flowers in elongating clusters at the ends of the many branches. 

 Leaves simple, opposite, aromatic, strong-scented, ovate to tri- 

 angular, y 2 to iy 2 " long, crenate, heavily veined underneath. 

 Calyx conspicuously ribbed, 2-lipped, drooping, with the 2 sides 

 folding against each other at maturity. Corolla 2-lipped, blue, 

 the upper lip short, small, concave, hairy. Lower lip much 

 longer, broader, flattened, 3-lobed, the middle lobe large and 

 notched. In poor, dry, rocky limestone hills and hillsides. April 

 to July. 



Salviastrum texanum Scheele. 



Conspicuously hairy, square-stemmed perennial, 8 to 18" 

 high, branched at the root and above (the branches ascending), 

 and bearing 1 to 3 pale blue to pale violet, 2-lipped flowers in 



