Family |
Lamiaceae
Salvia fruticosa
Mill.
Salvia fruticosa Mill.
First published in Gard. Dict., ed. 8.: n.° 5 (1768).
(Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 3, p. 159, Pl. LXXV, 3; 1983)
Description
Life-form & habit: Woody shrub with stout stems and a close covering of woolly hairs.
Leaves: Stalked, wrinkled and round-toothed, woolly on both surfaces, especially beneath. Blades ovate-oblong to lanceolate, simple or three-lobed through the development of two spreading lobes at the base.
Inflorescence & flowers: Sticky racemes or short-branched panicles with whorls of four to six flowers. Bracts short, membranous and deciduous. Calyx hairy and very sticky, with pointed triangular teeth. Corolla pale violet, 12–18 mm long.
Flowering and habitat
Phenology: Flowering February–July.
Habitat & elevation: Stony slopes on limestone and marl, especially around 100–800 m in Lebanon; absent from sandstone in Mouterde's account.
Distribution
Lebanese distribution: Naqoura, Saida, Deir Moukhalles–Marj Besri, Abey, Choueifat, Deir Moukhalles, Baabda, Wadi Chahrour, Khalde, Beirut, Nahr Beirut, Antelias, Broummana, Beit Meri, Harissa, Antoura, Jamhour, Ghazir, Ras Chekka, Nahr el Kalb, Nahr Ibrahim, Jbail and Kornet Chehwan.
Syrian distribution: Qadmous.
Native range: Albania, Cyprus, East Aegean Is., Greece, Italy, Kriti, Lebanon-Syria, Libya, Palestine, Sicilia, Türkiye, Türkiye-in-Europe.
Introduced into: Algeria, Canary Is., Madeira, Morocco, Portugal, Spain.
⚠️ Taxonomic note:
Salvia triloba and S. libanotica are names used in older treatments. Kew accepts Salvia fruticosa and includes S. libanotica within it.