Salvia pomifera
| Salvia pomifera | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 3' |
| Width: | 3' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Mid Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Salvia pomifera (common name: apple sage)
Propagation: Seed - sow March/April in a greenhouse[1]. Germination usually takes place within 2 weeks. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in early summer. In areas where the plant is towards the limits of its hardiness, it is best to grow the plants on in a greenhouse for their first winter and plant them out in late spring of the following year.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood succeed at almost any time in the growing season[1].
Cultivation: Requires a very well-drained light sandy soil in a sunny position[1]. Prefers a rich soil[2]. Soils rich in nitrogen encourage excessive leaf growth at the expense of flowering[3].
This species is not hardy in the colder areas of the country, it tolerates temperatures down to between -5 and -10°c[1]. Plants can be killed by excessive winter wet[1].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[4].
Range: S. Europe - Greece, Turkey and Crete.
Habitat: Rocky slopes, limestone cliffs and macchie from sea level to 800 metres in Turkey[5].
Edibility: The leaves have a strong odour and flavour, resembling lavender and common sage[6]. They are used as an adulterant of sage as a commercial food flavouring[6][7].
An infusion of the herb is used to make a tea[6]. Very fragrant, it is called 'fascomiglia'[1].
Semi-transparent galls are formed on the plant as a result of gall wasps invading the young branches. These galls are made into a kind of conserve or sweetmeat by crystallizing them in sugar and this is regarded as a great delicacy by the Greeks[6][1]. They have an agreeable and astringent flavour[8]. We are not sure if the galls are used before or after the insect has departed[K].
Medicinal: An infusion of the dried leaves is used medicinally in Greece[8]. The report does not give any details as to the uses, but does say that in excess the tea causes profuse perspiration, languor and even faintness[8]. The leaves are said to have the same properties as common sage (S. officinalis), but to be stronger in their action[7]. These properties are antihydrotic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, astringent, carminative, cholagogue, galactofuge, stimulant, tonic and vasodilator[8][9][10][11][12][7].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ Davis, Peter. Flora of Turkey. Edinburgh University Press, 1965.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ Triska, Jan. Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn, 1975.
- ↑ Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ Mills, Simon. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.