Welcome to Salvia officinalis and Salvia fruticosa's worlds

Salvia officinalis

Taxonomic position: Domain: Eukaryota, Kingdom: Viridiplantae, Phylum: Spermatophyta, Subphylum: Angiospermae, Class: Dicotyledonae, Order: Lamiales, Family: Lamiaceae,

Other scientific names:  Salvia chromatica Hoffsgg.. (1824), Salvia papillosa Hoffsgg. (1828).

Notes on taxonomy and nomenclature: S. officinalis forms part of a complex of several closely related species, the most important being S. fruticosa Miller, S. Iavandulifolia Vahl and S. tomentosa Miller. S. fruticosa has simple or, more often, trilobed leaves with 1(- 2) pairs of lobes at the base of a larger terminal leaflet, calyx 5-8 mm long, corolla 16-25 mm long. It occurs naturally in the central and eastern Mediterranean region from Sicily to Crete and in Libya, but is also cultivated and sometimes naturalised outside this region (for example, Canary Islands, Morocco and Algeria). S. Iavandulifolia has often been considered as a form of S. officinalis; its verticillasters bear 6-8 flowers, the calyx is 8-12 mm long and the corolla 20-25 mm; it occurs wild in Spain and southern France, but is also cultivated elsewhere. S. tomentosa has leaves up to 6.5 cm wide which are rounded to cordate at base, verticillasters bear 4-10 flowers, calyx is 10-15 mm long, corolla up to 35 mm; it occurs wild in the central and southern parts of the Balkan peninsula, but is occasionally also cultivated elsewhere. It yields a commercial essential oil different from sage oil.

Numerous cultivars of S. officinalis exist, for example, 'Albiflora' with white flowers, said to be the best culinary sage; 'Purpurescens' with purple young leaves; 'Rubriflora' with reddish-purple flowers, known to have been cultivated in Europe since the 16th Century.

Salvia L. comprises about 500 species, widely distributed in temperate and subtropical regions, but with few in the tropics. About 20 species occur in South-East Asia; six are native or truly naturalized, the others occur only in cultivation (mainly as ornamentals).


Pests and Diseases

Sage is largely unaffected by diseases and pests. Root-rot caused by Armillaria mellea has been observed on dying sage in Greece, downy mildew by Peronospora lamii in Florida, USA, and foliar necrosis by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides in Argentina. Eupteryx melissae has been reported as a pest on sage in New Zealand. Nematodes are the major problem in sage cultivation. Tylenchorhynchus initans is a problem in India, and the root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) is a problem in the USA.

Major host of: Phytophthora cryptogea (tomato foot rot), Rhizobium radiobacter (crown gall), Rhizobium rhizogenes (gall), Tomato spotted wilt virus (tomato spotted wilt).

Minor host of: Chalara elegans (black root rot), Chrysodeixis chalcites (golden twin-spot moth), Lygus lineolaris (tarnished plant bug), Pratylenchus penetrans (nematode, northern root lesion), Spodoptera littoralis (cotton leafworm), Verticillium dahliae (verticillium wilt).

Wild host of: Erysiphe betae (powdery mildew: beet), Peridroma saucia (pearly underwing moth)

Host of (source - data mining): Peronospora lamii (downy mildew: mints)

Additional pests recorded for taxonomic groups to which Salvia officinalis (common sage) belongs: Aleurodicus dispersus (whitefly), Aonidomytilus albus (tapioca scale), Chrysodeixis eriosoma (green looper caterpillar), Coccus hesperidum (brown soft scale), Eupteryx atropunctata, Frankliniella occidentalis (western flower thrips), Liriomyza trifolii (American serpentine leafminer), Pseudococcus jackbeardsleyi (Jack Beardsley mealybug), Trichoplusia ni (cabbage looper).

Recorded on Lamiaceae family: Bemisia tabaci (B biotype) (silverleaf whitefly).


References:
- Crop Protection Compendium. 2005. CABI Publishing.