Description
Salvia officinalis, common sage or sage, is a perennial, evergreen subshrub, with woody stems, grayish leaves, and blue to purplish flowers. It is a member of the mint family (Lamiaceae) and native to the Mediterranean region, though it has been naturalized in many places throughout the world.
Uses
Sage has extensive culinary and other applications:
- Meat dishes: Traditional with turkey, pork, and lamb
- Stuffing: Essential ingredient in bread stuffings
- Italian cuisine: Used with pasta, especially gnocchi
- Herb butter: Mixed with butter for flavoring
- Tea: Dried leaves used for herbal teas
- Traditional medicine: Long history of medicinal use
- Ornamental: Used as decorative garden plant
Origin
Sage is native to the Mediterranean region and has been grown for centuries in the Old World for its food and healing properties. It was often described in old herbals for the many miraculous properties attributed to it.
Plant Characteristics
The Old World type grows to approximately 60 cm (2 ft) tall and wide, with lavender flowers most common, though they can also be white, pink, or purple. The plant flowers in late spring or summer. The leaves are oblong, ranging in size up to 65 mm (2½ in) long by 25 mm (1 in) wide.
Appearance
Leaves are grey-green, rugose on the upper side, and nearly white underneath due to the many short soft hairs. Modern cultivars include leaves with purple, rose, cream, and yellow in many variegated combinations. The common sage gives its name to the grayish-green color sage, due to the distinctive color of its leaves.
Nomenclature
Salvia officinalis was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. The binary name, officinalis, refers to the plant’s medicinal use—the officina was the traditional storeroom of a monastery where herbs and medicines were stored. It is the type species for the genus Salvia.
Common Names
Sage has numerous common names including: common sage, garden sage, golden sage, kitchen sage, true sage, culinary sage, Dalmatian sage, and broadleaf sage. Cultivated forms include purple sage and red sage.