Salvia canescens C.A.Mey.

Nomenclature and Endemic Range

Salvia canescens, commonly called hoary sage, is a herbaceous perennial plant endemic to the Caucasus Mountains. Its specific epithet canescens refers to the off-white hairs that cover the plant’s leaves.

Initial Formal Description

This species was first formally described in 1831 by Russian botanist Carl Anton von Meyer.

Nomenclatural Error and Correction

English botanist George Bentham later applied the same name to an unrelated species; he corrected this error in his 1833 work Labiatarum Genera et Species, reclassifying S. canescens Benth. as a synonym of Salvia pallida.

1992 Taxonomic Reclassification

In 1992, Russian botanist Y. L. Menitsky reclassified Salvia daghestanica, a species originally described in 1951 by Dmitrii Ivanovich Sosnowsky, as a variety of S. canescens. This taxonomic change required creation of the autonym S. canescens var. canescens for the original variety.

Size and Growth Habit of var. daghestanica

Salvia canescens var. daghestanica grows to nearly 1 foot (0.30 meters) in both height and width, forming a compact mound.

Foliage of var. daghestanica

It produces snow-white leaves measuring 1 to 4 inches (2.5 to 10.2 cm) long, which are covered with white hairs on both the upper and lower surfaces.

Flowering Period of var. daghestanica

The variety bears royal purple flowers arranged in whorls, which bloom in summer and again in autumn.

Individual Flower Morphology

Individual flowers reach just over 0.5 inches (1.3 cm) in length and have a small calyx.

Inflorescence Structure

The flower-bearing inflorescences grow up to 1 foot (0.30 meters) long, holding the blooms above the plant’s foliage.