Salvia muirii
Encyclopedia
Salvia muirii is an evergreen perennial shrub native to limited areas east of the Cape of Good Hope
and Mossel Bay
on the southern coast of South Africa
. It grows in an area influenced by the climate of the Indian Ocean
, on rolling hills between 200 and 1000 feet elevation. The plant was first collected by Dr. John Muir, a Scottish physician and plant collector who spent many years in South Africa. Muir wrote to the botanist Harriet Margaret Louise Bolus, who named the plant after him.
Salvia muirii reaches 2 feet tall in its native habitat, less in cultivation. It grows into a stiff erect shrub, with small branches and tiny .75 inch olive-green leaves. The leaves appear smaller because each one is slightly folded along the middle. When crushed, they give off an aroma described as "reminiscent of a medicine cabinet" or of Vicks
. The short inflorescences hold violet-blue flowers in whorls of two or three. The lower lip of the flower has a prominent white beeline, while the upper lip is short, straight, and one color.
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
and Mossel Bay
Mossel Bay
Mossel Bay is a harbour town of about 130,000 people on the Southern Cape of South Africa. It is an important tourism and farming region of the Western Cape Province...
on the southern coast of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It grows in an area influenced by the climate of the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
, on rolling hills between 200 and 1000 feet elevation. The plant was first collected by Dr. John Muir, a Scottish physician and plant collector who spent many years in South Africa. Muir wrote to the botanist Harriet Margaret Louise Bolus, who named the plant after him.
Salvia muirii reaches 2 feet tall in its native habitat, less in cultivation. It grows into a stiff erect shrub, with small branches and tiny .75 inch olive-green leaves. The leaves appear smaller because each one is slightly folded along the middle. When crushed, they give off an aroma described as "reminiscent of a medicine cabinet" or of Vicks
Vicks
Vicks is a line of over-the-counter medications owned by the American company Procter & Gamble. Vicks manufactures NyQuil and its sister medication, DayQuil. The Vicks brand also produces Formula 44 cough medicines, cough drops, VapoRub, and a number of inhaled breathing treatments...
. The short inflorescences hold violet-blue flowers in whorls of two or three. The lower lip of the flower has a prominent white beeline, while the upper lip is short, straight, and one color.