“Sage” Is A Naughty Word
The name SAGE comes from the Latin word salvia. The salvia genus belongs to the mint family, Lamiaceae, and includes a huge diversity of plants.
Culinary sage is Salvia officinalis.
Autumn sage is the common name for Salvia greggii, the brightly colored, semi-evergreen shrub that’s common in the Hill Country.
Mealy blue or Mealycup sage, the beautiful blue blooms which adorn meadows and landscaped properties in Spring and Summer, is Salvia farinacea.
Tropical sage, or Scarlet sage, is the red blooming hummingbird magnet that’s another true Salvia- Salvia coccinea.
Lyreleaf sage, Cedar sage, Galeana sage, Pitcher sage….all Salvias.
Any Salvia that you name might also have a common name that includes the word “sage”.
So, we can say Salvia = Sage …… but does Sage = Salvia? NO!
Many plants have a common name of “sage”, and as we just discussed, that word is often referring to the Latin salvia. But sometimes “sage” isn’t a Salvia. Here are some examples:
Texas Sage: NOT a Salvia! These plants aren’t even in the mint family like other Salvias. They are Leucophyllums. Most common is Leucophyllum frutescens, but the “sage” name also applies to Leucophyllum zygophyllum, Leucophyllum langmaniae, Leucophyllum candidum, and Leucophyllym laevigatum. Each of these have other common names such as Cenizo, Barometer Bush, Chihuahuan Sage, Blue Ranger, Laredo Sage, Purple Sage, etc., demonstrating again how the word “sage” is used liberally and has almost no definitive descriptive value.
Other examples of “sage” plants that aren’t salvias include plants in the Artemesia family, with names like Sand Sage and Sagebrush, and Jerusalem Sage, which is Phlomis fruticosa.
To keep us on our toes…
Russian Sage is a plant that for the longest time was called “sage” but was not “salvia”. It was Perovskia atriplicifolia. Recently, this plant has been scientifically reclassified as Salvia yangii.
And, to further dramatize the emotional roller coaster… ROSEMARY (Rosmarinus officinalis) has also been reclassified as a SALVIA (Salvia rosmarinus). This might be the one exception I can think of where the name “sage” doesn’t apply. If any of you come in asking for “rosemary sage,” you’re going to get a funny look.
We like to be as precise as possible. The botanical names that we include on our tags and signs might seem overwhelming, but the SAGE confusion demonstrates why it’s important. So if you come in and ask for sage, you can expect us to respond, “what kind?”