The plant known as ''Salvia uliginosa'', the bog sage, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Lamiaceae,

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

to southern Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina. It was described and named by botanist George Bentham for its typical habitat "of swamps and marshes", or ''uliginosa''.

Description

''Salvia uliginosa'' is an

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

growing up to tall in one season, with multiple thin stems and yellow-green lance-shaped leaves that have serrated edges. The plant quickly spreads on underground runners and is readily divided. The bright azure-blue flowers are long with a white beeline in the throat pointing toward the nectar and pollen. They grow in whorls beginning in summer until fall, with many flowers coming into bloom at the same time. Cyanosalvianin, the blue pigment from the flowers of ''S. uliginosa'', is a

metalloanthocyanin A metalloanthocyanin is a chemical complex giving color to petals of certain plants. These complexes are self-assembled, supramolecular metal complex pigment composed of stoichiometric amounts of anthocyanins, flavones, and metal ions. The vario ...

, a complex formed of six molecules of the anthocyanin type, six molecules of the flavone type and two

magnesium Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 of the periodic ta ...

ions.

Cultivation

''Salvia uliginosa'' was introduced into horticulture in 1912, and has become popular in gardens and public landscapes for its azure-blue flowers, ability to grow under various conditions, and its pollinator habitat attributes. This plant has gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

References

External links

uliginosa Flora of Brazil Flora of Argentina Flora of Uruguay Garden plants of South America Drought-tolerant plants {{Salvia-stub