About Salvia lanigera Poir.
Salvia lanigera Poir., commonly known as Libyan wild clary, is a small herbaceous perennial plant. It is native to the region extending from northern Egypt and Arabia to southern Turkey and Iran. It grows at low altitudes in desert environments, in sandy loam and chalky sandstone soils. Its specific epithet "lanigera" means "wool-bearing" or "fleecy", a reference to the hairs that cover all parts of the plant. The species was first described in 1817 by Jean Louis Marie Poiret, a French clergyman who was sent by Louis XVI to Algeria to study the region's native plants. After the French Revolution, Poiret became a professor at the Grandes écoles in Aisne. When grown in cultivation, Salvia lanigera reaches 4 to 8 inches in height; in its native habitat, it can grow up to 1 foot tall. The plant has a soft pale gray-green color, releases a pungent odor when brushed, and is covered in short erect hairs. Its narrow leaves are deeply divided into linear segments. Violet flowers grow in whorls of 6 to 8, held in a tiny calyx covered in long white hairs. In cold climates, it is grown as an annual and freely reseeds itself; its seeds can survive over winter even in climates that reach sub-freezing temperatures. It adapts well to growing in small spaces between other plants. It prefers full sun, lean soil, moderate irrigation, and good drainage.
