PRAIRIE SAGE RED SAGE
Prairie Sage (Salvia pitcheri) grows in scattered clumps throughout the central prairie region from Texas to Illinois and Minnesota. Because of its sky-blue, tubular, 2-lipped flowers, it is one of the plants most easily identified. The gray-green leaves have the characteristic sage odor and can be used for sage tea. The plants are two to three feet high and bloom from late spring to November.
Red Sage or Salvia. Indian Fire (Salvia coccinea) is a hardy plant in cultivation and blooms nearly all the year. It is native to the Gulf States, in Texas growing in woods near the coast. The red flowers are nearly an inch long.
There are nearly five hundred salvias known. Three European species are cultivated for their leaves, and many others are grown for ornamental purposes. The common bedding salvia is Salvia splendens, native of Brazil. The handsomest flower in the state is the red-flowered Salvia regla, found in a few mountain canyons in West Texas. Cancer weed (Salvia lyrata) is the common salvia of East Texas woods.
TEXAS SAGE BLUE SAGE
Blue Sage. Blue Salvia (Salvia farinacea) is a lovely plant which is native and abundant in the limestone regions of the state. It has long been known in cultivation, being especially adapted for rock gardens and highway plantings. It blooms with renewed activity after every rain from April to November. The corollas are usually purple but vary to blue and white. They have a narrow upper lip which is velvety with violet hairs on its outer surface. The calyx is velvety with violet-gray hairs. The stems grow from perennial roots and form clumps two to three feet high.
Texas Salvia. Texas Sage (Salviastrum texanum) blooms from March to May, growing in a low bushy clump 12-18 inches high on limestone hillsides from Central Texas to New Mexico. The spikes are densely covered with lavender flowers about an inch long. Unlike the true salvias, it has a flaring calyx which is densely bearded in the throat.
POTATO FAMILY (Solanaceae)
