Salvia horminum
Encyclopedia
Salvia viridis is an annual plant
native to an area extending from the Mediterranean to the Crimea
and into Iran
. It was known as Salvia horminum for many years, since Carl Linnaeus described S. viridis and S. horminum as separate species in 1753. Some modern botanist still believe that they are two separate species. viridis, from the Greek
, refers to the color green, with implications of youth and vigor. horminum is Greek for sage.
Salvia viridis quickly grows to 1 to 2 ft (0.3048 to 0.6096 m) tall and 1 foot (0.3048 m) wide, with a flowering period of over a month. Colorful bracts almost hide the tiny two-lipped flowers, which are cream-colored, with the upper lip tinged with purple or rose, reflecting the bract color. The flowers last well as cut flowers or dried flowers. The plant prefers friable soil, good drainage, moderate water, and three-quarters to a full day of sunlight. Seed can be sown in late March in a greenhouse or directly into the border after the last frost.
In A Modern Herbal, M. Grieve and C. F. Lyel write that the seeds and leaves of Salvia viridis used to be added to fermenting vats to "greatly increase the inebriating quality of the liquor". An infusion of the leaves was used for sore gums, and powdered leaves for snuff. It was also reported to be a good honey-producing plant.
Annual plant
An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates, flowers, and dies in a year or season. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed...
native to an area extending from the Mediterranean to the Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
and into Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. It was known as Salvia horminum for many years, since Carl Linnaeus described S. viridis and S. horminum as separate species in 1753. Some modern botanist still believe that they are two separate species. viridis, from the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, refers to the color green, with implications of youth and vigor. horminum is Greek for sage.
Salvia viridis quickly grows to 1 to 2 ft (0.3048 to 0.6096 m) tall and 1 foot (0.3048 m) wide, with a flowering period of over a month. Colorful bracts almost hide the tiny two-lipped flowers, which are cream-colored, with the upper lip tinged with purple or rose, reflecting the bract color. The flowers last well as cut flowers or dried flowers. The plant prefers friable soil, good drainage, moderate water, and three-quarters to a full day of sunlight. Seed can be sown in late March in a greenhouse or directly into the border after the last frost.
In A Modern Herbal, M. Grieve and C. F. Lyel write that the seeds and leaves of Salvia viridis used to be added to fermenting vats to "greatly increase the inebriating quality of the liquor". An infusion of the leaves was used for sore gums, and powdered leaves for snuff. It was also reported to be a good honey-producing plant.