Salvia L. (1753), in the family Labiatae, contains over 900 species worldwide.

Description Subshrubs to 3m, woody at the base, herbaceous perennials, or annuals. Leaves aromatic, with various scents, opposite, evergreen or deciduous. The flowers are blue, white, red, yellow, purple, or pink, in whorls on simple or compound spikes. Sepals 5, joined to form a 4- or 5-toothed calyx. Petals 5, forming a 2-lipped corolla, the upper lip often furry outside, sometimes forked, the lower lip 3-lobed, the large, lowest lobe sometimes divided. Stamens 2, often forked, with a long connective between the fertile cell of the stamen and the sterile cell, which forms a conspicuous staminode. Ovary superior, 2-celled, with 2 ovules per cell; style 1, usually unequally forked. Pollination is mainly by bees, or by hummingbirds in the red-flowered species. The fruits are 4 nutlets.

Key Recognition Features The flowers with forked stamens and an unequally forked style.

Evolution and Relationships Most of the shrubby species are from Central and South America, where the genus is very diverse and spectacular, with numerous red- or blue-flowered, hummingbird-pollinated species. The staminodes are positioned in the mouth of the tube, and when depressed they pitch the pollen onto the head of the hummingbird or the back of the bee.

Ecology and Geography In meadows, open scrub, and forest margins throughout the world, but with interesting concentrations of species in Turkey, where there are 86 species, and in Mexico.

Comment Many species and hybrids are grown for ornament; they are especially valuable for their late flowering. Salvia officinalis L. is commonly used for cooking. The Mexican S. splendens Sellow, with bright red flowers, was formerly planted by the million in public places throughout the Soviet Union. Salvia sclarea L. is used medicinally and in scent; it has colourful bracts longer than the flowers.