''Salvia azurea'', the azure blue sage, azure sage, blue sage or prairie sage, is a herbaceous perennial in the genus ''

Salvia ''Salvia'' () is the largest genus of plants in the sage family Lamiaceae, with nearly 1000 species of shrubs, herbaceous plant, herbaceous perennial plant, perennials, and annual plant, annuals. Within the Lamiaceae, ''Salvia'' is part of the ...

'' that is native to Central and Eastern North America.Kathleen N. Brenzel, Editor, ''Sunset Western Garden Book'' (Menlo Park, CA: Sunset Publishing Corporation, 2001; )Mark Griffiths, ''Index of Garden Plants, 2nd American Edition.'' (Portland, Oregon: Timber Press, 1995; )

Description

Its thin, upright stems can grow to tall, with narrow, pointed, smooth-edged to serrated, furry to smooth green leaves, connected to their stems by petioles to long. There are no basal leaves.Carl G. Hunter, ''Wild Flowers of Arkansas.'' 6th edition, p. 192. (Little Rock, Arkansas: The Ozark Society Foundation, 2001; ) The blue flowers (rarely white), nearly long, appear summer to autumn near the ends of their branched or unbranched spikes; their calyxes are tubular or bell-shaped and furry. Two varieties are known, ''Salvia azurea'' var. ''azurea'' (azure sage) and ''Salvia azurea'' var. ''grandiflora'' (Pitcher sage). The stems of wild ''S. azurea'' tend to be long and unbranched, causing them to flop under the weight of their flowers. When grown in cultivation, the stems of S. azurea are sometimes cut back early in the growing season to encourage branching and slow the vertical growth of the plant to prevent

lodging Lodging refers to the use of a short-term dwelling, usually by renting the living space or sometimes through some other arrangement. People who travel and stay away from home for more than a day need lodging for sleep, rest, food, safety, shel ...

Distribution and habitat

''S. azurea'' is found from Utah east to Connecticut and from Minnesota south to Florida. ''S. azurea'' var. ''azurea'' tends to be found in the eastern and southeastern portion of this range, while ''S. azurea'' var. ''grandiflora'' is found in the west and northwest. In some states within its native range, it has become especially rare, such as in Illinois, where it is listed as a threatened species. Throughout its range, it is found growing wild on roadsides, glades, prairies, savannas, fields and pastures. S. azurea prefers dry, sunny conditions in a variety of soils, including clay, gravel, and loam. In wetter conditions, the plant will still grow and bloom, but tends to lodge.

Varieties

* ''Salvia azurea'' var. ''azurea'' - azure sage * ''Salvia azurea'' var. ''grandiflora'' - Pitcher sage * ''Salvia azurea'' var. ''grandiflora'' 'Nekan' - seed selection released in 1977 by Manhattan Plant Materials Center of Manhattan, Kansas, and Nebraska Agriculture Experiment Station in Lincoln, Nebraska. Selected for better performance and more uniform plant growth.

References

External links

azurea Flora of Northeastern Mexico Flora of the United States Flora of the North-Central United States Flora of the Southeastern United States Flora of Colorado Flora of Florida Flora of New Mexico Flora of New York (state) Flora of Utah Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Salvia-stub