Flora of New Zealand Series

wild sage

Scarcely aromatic, perennial herb. Stems densely hairy and with glandular scales, to c. 50 cm high; angles often purple. Lvs mostly basal and forming a rosette; petioles to c. 8 cm long, densely hairy and with glandular scales. Lamina 3-12 × 1.5-5 cm, ± oblong, sinuately lobed or pinnatifid, hairy on veins, otherwise glabrous or nearly so; base broad-cuneate to subcordate; apex acute or subacute; lobes broader than deep, dentate. Stem lvs often sessile. Infl. to 30 cm long, usually with 2 main branches near base, densely hairy. Verticels 5-10-flowered, distant; fls ± subsessile; bracts broader than long, > calyx, with narrow-acuminate apex. Calyx 6-10 mm long, purplish, hairy, accrescent; teeth acuminate, densely ciliate, those of lower lip much longer; lower lip 3-4 mm long, ± rounded. Corolla 8-12 mm long; limb blue or violet; upper lip hooded, hairy outside. Stamens included or slightly exserted; connective of fertile arms 4-5× filaments; sterile arms very broad. Nutlets c. 2 mm long, broad-ellipsoid, slightly trigonous.

N.; S.: widespread.

W. Europe, Mediterranean 1883

Especially common in old pastures where vegetation is short, and on roadsides, grass verges, and grassy riverbanks, also in more modified areas such as waste places around settlements.

FL Oct-Feb.

Allan (1940) only recorded this sp. from the North Id. In N.Z., wild sage has variably toothed lvs and the stems are often purplish where exposed to sunlight. It has been previously known in N.Z. as S. horminoides.

The related garden or culinary sage, S. officinalis L., is very commonly cultivated in N.Z., often in a purplish leaved form, cv. 'Purpurascens'. Seedlings are very rarely seen, even in gardens. S. officinalis has a calyx which is not accrescent and its stamen filaments are at least = the fertile connective arms, distinguishing it from the 2 European spp., S. nemorosa and S. verbenaca, described here.

S. pratensis has been recorded for N.Z. but there was probably confusion with S. verbenaca because the common name was given as wild sage.