Salvia microphylla

''Salvia microphylla'', the baby sage, Graham's sage, or blackcurrant sage, is an evergreen shrub found in the wild in southeastern Arizona and the mountains of eastern, western, and southern Mexico. It is a very complex species which easily hybridizes, resulting in numerous hybrids and cultivars brought into horticulture since the 1990s. The specific epithet ''microphylla'', from the Greek, means "small leaved". In Mexico it is called ''mirto de montes'', or "myrtle of the mountains".

Description

''Salvia microphylla'' grows to tall and wide, blooming in its first year and growing to full size in its second year. The leaves are ovate shaped, of varying sizes, and smooth or lightly covered with hairs. When crushed, the leaves have a strong fragrance, which has been described as pleasant and mint-like, but also as similar to that of blackcurrants, leading to the use of "blackcurrant sage” as an English name for this species. It sometimes spreads underground, producing dense patches.

Along with its cultivars and hybrids, ''S. microphylla'' blooms heavily in late spring and again in autumn, with sporadic flowering year-round in mild conditions. The flowers are arranged in whorls, with a wide range of color: magenta, red, pink, and rose.

Taxonomy

Botanist Carl Epling considered ''Salvia microphylla'' to have three geographical races, though the wide variation still causes confusion today, and there are conceivably more than three races. Adding to the confusion, ''Salvia microphylla'' is often mistaken for '' Salvia greggii'', with which it frequently hybridizes. Epling distinguishes between the two by the ''S. microphylla'' leaves, which have serrated edges, compared to the narrow, elliptic, and smooth-edged ''S. greggii'' leaves — and by a pair of papillae inside the ''S. microphylla'' corolla.

In the U.S. it is sometimes called "Graham's sage," as it was named ''Salvia grahamii'' by George Bentham. It was also named ''Salvia neurepia'' by Merritt Lyndon Fernald. Both these botanic names are considered invalid as they are later than ''microphylla.''

There is also confusion between ''Salvia microphylla'' and '' Salvia lemmonii'', which was named by Asa Gray. Later, Gray began calling it ''Salvia microphylla'' var. ''wislizeni'', considering it to be a variety of ''S. microphylla'', though most taxonomies still consider ''S. lemmonii'' to be a unique species. ''S. lemmonii'' has leaves that are long, which are furry and sharp-pointed, along with flowers that are often vermilion or magenta, with the inflorescence shorter than that of ''S. microphylla''. var. ''neurepia''.

Cultivars and hybrids

Some cultivars are hybrids with ''Salvia greggii'' (known as ''Salvia'' × ''jamensis'') and other ''Salvia'' species; collectively they may be called "Mexican salvias". Technically they are evergreen shrubs or sub-shrubs, though they are not reliably hardy and are also short-lived. However, they are easy to propagate from cuttings. Those marked AGM have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

* 'Alba': White flowers
* 'Blush Pink': Rich pink flowersMark Griffiths. ''Index of Garden Plants, 2nd American Edition.'' (Portland, Oregon: Timber Press, 1995; ).
* 'Cerro Potosi':AGM Large vibrant magenta flowers
* 'Desert Blaze': Bright red flowers, variegated yellow and green leaves
* 'Forever Red': Shrublike, long-blooming, scarlet flowers
* 'Graham's Sage': Many red flowers blooming simultaneously
* 'Hoja Grande': Magenta-red flowers and dark green leaves
* 'Hot Lips':AGM Flowers with a white base and bright red top
* 'James Compton': Oval, serrated leaves; large, dark crimson flowers
* 'Kew Red': Vigorous grower with vivid red flowers
* 'La Foux': Deep crimson flowers with dark calyces
* 'La Trinidad Pink': Bright pink flowers
* var. ''neurepia'' (Fern.) Epling: Flowers cherry red in autumn
* 'Newby Hall': 6 feet (2m), bright scarlet flowers
* 'Oxford': Dark pink flowers
* 'Pat Vlasto' (''S.'' × ''jamensis''): Leaves unserrated; peach-orange blossoms
* 'Pink Blush': Free flowering, rose-magenta flowers
* 'Pleasant View': Pink flowers
* 'Red Velvet': Lustrous red flowers
* ‘Ribambelle’:AGM a profusion of salmon pink flowers
* 'Rosita': Repeat bloomer with bright candy-pink flowers
* 'Royal Bumble': large deep crimson flowers on a bushy evergreen plant
* 'Ruth Stungo': Leaves variegated green and white
* 'San Carlos Festival: magenta-scarlet flowers, gray-green leaves
* 'Trebah': Upright, lilac white flowers
* 'Trelawney': Upright, rose-pink flowers
* 'Trelissick': Upright, creamy yellow flowers
* 'Trenance': Upright, lilac-pink flowers
* 'Trewithin': Upright, cerise flowers
* 'Wild Watermelon': large pink flowers with dark calyces

Uses

''Salvia microphylla'' is grown in central Mexico as a medicinal plant, and used for making tea.

References

External links

*

Jepson manual

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2705479

microphylla
Flora of California
Flora of Arizona
Flora of New Mexico
Flora of Mexico
Medicinal plants
Flora without expected TNC conservation status