Salvia nemorosa

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Asterids
Cladus: Lamiids
Ordo: Lamiales

Familia: Lamiaceae
Subfamilia: Nepetoideae
Tribus: Mentheae
Subtribus: Salviinae
Genus: Salvia
Subgenus: S. subg. Sclarea
Sectio: S. sect. Plethiosphace
Species: Salvia nemorosa
Subspecies: S. n. subsp. nemorosa – S. n. subsp. pseudosylvestris
Name

Salvia nemorosa L., Sp. Pl., ed. 2, 1: 35. 1762.
Hybrids

Salvia × sylvestris

Synonyms

Homotypic
Salvia × sylvestris var. nemorosa (L.) Nyman, Consp. Fl. Eur. 570. 1881.
Sclarea nemorosa (L.) Mill., Gard. Dict. ed. 8: n.º 6. 1768.
Sclarea punctata Moench, Methodus: 374. 1794, nom. superfl.

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Continental: Asia-Temperate
Regional: Central Asia
Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan
Regional: Caucasus
North Caucasus, Transcaucasus
Regional: Siberia
West Siberia
Continental: Europe
Regional: Southeastern Europe
Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Krym, Romania, South European Russi, Ukraine, Yugoslavia
Regional: Central Europe
Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Switzerland
Regional: Eastern Europe
Central European Rus, East European Russia, Northwest European R
Regional: Southwestern Europe
France, Spain
Introduced into:
New York, New Zealand South, Wisconsin

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References
Primary references

Linnaeus, C. 1762. Species Plantarum, ed. 2, Tomus I: 35. Reference page.

Additional references

Govaerts, R.H.A. 2003. World Checklist of Selected Plant Families Database in ACCESS: 1-216203. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. [unavailable for the public] Reference page.
Nowak, A. & Nobis, M. (eds.) (2020). Illustrated Flora of Tajikistan and adjacent areas 2: 367-766. PAN, Polish academy of sciences.

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2022. Salvia nemorosa in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2022 May 14. Reference page.
Hassler, M. 2022. Salvia nemorosa. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2022. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published online. Accessed: 2022 May 14. Reference page.
Tropicos.org 2022. Salvia nemorosa. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 14 May 2022.
International Plant Names Index. 2022. Salvia nemorosa. Published online. Accessed: May 14 2022.

Vernacular names
dansk: Småblomstret Salvie
Deutsch: Hain-Salbei
English: Woodland sage
español: Salvia de bosque
eesti: Metssalvei
suomi: Lehtosalvia
hornjoserbsce: Stepowa želbija
Nederlands: bossalie
svenska: Stäppsalvia
Türkçe: Orman adaçayı

Salvia nemorosa, the woodland sage, Balkan clary, blue sage or wild sage,[1] is a hardy herbaceous perennial plant native to a wide area of central Europe and Western Asia.

It is an attractive plant that is easy to grow and propagate, with the result that it has been passed around by gardeners for many years. Its wide distribution, long history, and the ease with which it hybridizes have resulted in many cultivars and hybrids—along with problems in clearly identifying the hybrids and their relationship with S. nemorosa. It was named and described by Carl Linnaeus in 1762, with nemorosa ("of woods") referring to its typical habitat in groves and woods.[2]

In northern Britain, Salvia nemorosa and Salvia pratensis are both in danger of disappearing due to depredation from slugs.[3]

Description

The many inflorescences have closely spaced whorls of small flowers with brightly colored calyces.
Cultivation

There are numerous cultivars widely grown in horticulture. Many of them are hardy to –18 °C., with flowers ranging in color from violet, to violet-blue, rosy pink, and even white. All are perennial, with numerous leafy stems growing from the base at the beginning of summer. The plant prefers full sun, good drainage, and moderate weekly watering.[2] The plant is hardy to USDA Hardiness Zones Zones 4–8.[4]
AGM cultivars

In the UK the following cultivars have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:-[5]

'Amethyst'[6]
'Blauhügel' (Blue hill)[7]
‘Caradonna’[8]
'Lubecca'[9]
'Mainacht' (May night)[10]
'Ostfriesland' ('East Friesland')[11]
'Porzellan' (Porcelain)[12]
'Tänzerin' (Dancer)[13]
'Viola Klose'[14]

Phytochemistry
Nemorosin

Leaves of Salvia nemorosa have been used in Turkish medicine to stop bleeding by applying externally. Diterpenes and triterpenes have been isolated from aerial parts of S. nemorosa: nemorone, nemorosin, horminone, 7-acetylhorminone, salvinemorol, megastigmane glycosides (salvionosides A, B and C), pachystazone, salvipisone, α-amyrin, ursolic and oleanolic acids, stigmast-7-en-3-one, 24-methylenecycloartanol, stigmast-4-en-3-one, β-sitosterol, stigmast-7-enol, as well as flavonoids salvigenin, eupatilin, apigenin and luteolin.[15]
References

"Salvia nemorosa". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
Clebsch, Betsy; Barner, Carol D. (2003). The New Book of Salvias. Timber Press. p. 208. ISBN 978-0-88192-560-9.
Fieldhouse, Ken; Hitchmough, James (2004). Plant User Handbook: A Guide to Effective Specifying. Blackwell Publishing. pp. 334–335. ISBN 978-0-632-05843-3.
Missouri Botanical Garden: Salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna'
"AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 95. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
"RHS Plant Selector - Salvia nemorosa 'Amethyst'". Retrieved 5 March 2021.
"RHS Plant Selector - Salvia × sylvestris 'Blauhügel'". Retrieved 5 March 2021.
"RHS Plantfinder - Salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna'". Retrieved 12 October 2018.
"RHS Plant Selector - Salvia nemorosa 'Lubecca'". Retrieved 5 March 2021.
"RHS Plant Selector - Salvia × sylvestris 'Mainacht'". Retrieved 5 March 2021.
"RHS Plant Selector - Salvia nemorosa 'Ostfriesland'". Retrieved 5 March 2021.
"RHS Plant Selector - Salvia nemorosa 'Porzellan'". Retrieved 5 March 2021.
"RHS Plant Selector - Salvia × sylvestris 'Tanzerin'". Retrieved 5 March 2021.
"Salvia × slvestris 'Viola Klose'". RHS. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
Ulubelen, Topçu, Sönmez, Eris. Terpenoids from Salvia nemorosa. Phytochemistry (1994). Vol. 35. No. 4, pp. 1065-1067.