''Phlomis fruticosa'', the Jerusalem 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 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 Albania, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Turkey, and countries of the former Yugoslavia. It is a small

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

shrub, up to tall by wide. The sage-like, aromatic leaves are oval, 5–10 cm (2-4ins) long, wrinkled, grey-green with white undersides, and covered with fine hairs. Deep yellow, tubular

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s, 3 cm in length, grow in whorls of 20 in short spikes in summer. The specific epithet ''fruticosa'' means "shrubby". It is popular as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that ...

, and 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 (Nor ...

's Award of Garden Merit. As a garden escape, it has

naturalised Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the i ...

in parts of South West England. It is listed as deer resistant, hardy in zones 7 to 11, and tolerant of a range of soil types. File:Phlomis_fruticosa_flower_Oakland.JPG File:Phlomis_fruticosa_flower_Merritt.JPG

References

*
Michigan State University entry
* Craker, L. E. & J. E. Simon, eds. 1986–1987. Herbs, spices, and medicinal plants, 2 vols. * Davis, P. H., ed. 1965–1988. Flora of Turkey and the east Aegean islands. * Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984–. Med-Checklist. * Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening. * Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1934–1964. Flora SSSR. * Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964–1980. Flora europaea.

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1322796 fruticosa Shrubs Flora of Albania Flora of Cyprus Flora of Greece Flora of Italy Flora of Turkey Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus

See also

References

External links