Salvia is a
genus in the mint family,
Lamiaceae. It is one of three
genera commonly referred to as
Sage. When used without modifiers, sage generally refers to
common sage (
Salvia officinalis); however, it can be used with modifiers to refer to any member of the genus. This genus includes
shrubs,
herbaceous perennials, and
annuals. Different species of sage are grown as herbs and as
ornamental plants. The ornamental species are commonly referred to by their scientific name
Salvia.
The closely related genera
Perovskia and
Phlomis are also known as sage;
Russian Sage (
Perovskia atriplicifolia), native to the
Crimea south to
Afghanistan and
Pakistan, is grown as an ornamental plant because of its blue-violet sprays of flowers and its adaptability to either sun or part shade. It has a pleasant smell and is also grown as a
bee plant, but is not consumed by humans.
Jerusalem Sage refers to
Phlomis fruticosa and other species of
Phlomis.
Some species of the unrelated genus
Artemisia are also referred to as sages, a shortened version of
sagebrush, which is a more appropriate term for them. They generally taste vile and are not used in food preparation, although many of them are used medicinally. Smudge bundles are made with various grey-leaved species of
Artemisia and are misrepresented as "whitesage" smudges. The true whitesage is
Salvia apiana, which has a delightful scent when burned.
Salvia species are used as food plants by the
larvae of some
Lepidoptera species including the
bucculatricid leaf-miner
Bucculatrix taeniola which feeds exclusively on the genus and the
Coleophora case-bearers
C. aegyptiacae,
C. salviella (both feed exclusively on
S. aegyptiaca),
C. ornatipennella and
C. virgatella (both recorded on
S. pratensis).
