Salvia
sage; the typical genus of the Salvidæ. Calyx two-lipped; stamens two, forked. Undershrubs or herbs, widely distributed. Known species about 400, many of them very showy, flowering plants, cultivated in gardens or in greenhouses. S. officinalis, of which there are many varieties, is the common sage, a well-known culinary herb (see SAGE). It is a feeble tonic and astringent and an efficient aromatic. S. grandiflora is also culinary. The galls of S. pomifera are eaten in Candia, as are the stalks of S. moorcroftiana in the Himalayas. The root is used in cough, the seeds as an emetic, and the leaves as a medicine in guinea-worm and itch, or as a poultice to wounds. The seeds of S. plebeia and S. pumila, also Indian species, are given in gonorrhea, etc.