Sage          

Definition

Mediterranean Sage

Sage Identified in America

The Medical Use of Sage

How to Prepare it?

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Mediterranean sage (Salvia aethiopis) is an erect, coarse biennial or short-lived perennial, with a stout taproot.  The squarish stem, opposite leaves and bilabiate flowers are typical of the mint family.  When crushed, a sage-like odor is emitted.  The mature plant can reach 3 feet tall.  The overall plant is covered with dense, woolly hairs, especially when young.  Leaves of mature plants loose this felt-like covering of hairs, and become wrinkled, showing the prominent venation.  During the first year of growth, Mediterranean sage is a basal rosette of grayish green leaves.  The second year rosette is leafier, and the leaves are somewhat fleshy, with an almost felt-like appearance due to the hairs.  The overall rosette is about 1 foot in diameter, although it can reach 4 feet wide.  Most leaves are basal, with irregular or indented margins, ranging from 4 to 12 inches long, and petiolate, with 1½ to 3½ inch long stalks.  The upper leaves are opposite, they are smaller and they clasp the stem. The uppermost leaves are reduced to bracts with long tapering points, and they are often tinged purple.  Flowering stems bolt as a single, squarish stalk, developing into a much-branched inflorescence, with many small white flowers.  The whole inflorescence resembles a candelabra.  Wooly clusters of four to six flowers are found in whorls at branch tips.  The individual flowers are white to yellowish, about ½ inch long.   The 2 upper petals form a lip resembling a hooked beak, and the 3 lower petals form 3 lobes, with outer lobes larger than the central.  Each flower produces four smooth, egg-shaped seeds.  The brown seeds are about 1/8 inch long, with dark veins.

Reproduction: 
Mediterranean sage reproduces by seed.   Each plant can produce 50 to 100,000 seeds (White 1955 as cited in Roche’ and Wilson 1998).  Each flower produces four smooth, egg-shaped seeds.  Seeds mature by late August, but they are not usually dispersed until September or October, when consistent moisture is available for germination.  Mediterranean sage acts like a tumbleweed to disperse the seeds.  The flowering stem has an abscission line 4-6 inches above the ground.  The stem becomes brittle and light, and breaks off at this line. These stalks roll with the wind, often ending up in fence lines, or creek bottoms.   When seeds get wet and imbibe water, they produce a mucilaginous cover within 5 minutes to protect them from desiccation