Clear Eye Salvia sclarea
Other Common Name(s):
Previously known as:
- Salvia turkestanica
- Phonetic Spelling
- SAL-vee-ah sklah-RAY-ah
- Description
-
Clary sage is a biennial or short-lived herbaceous perennial in the mint family (Lamiaceae) native to the Mediterranean region of southern Europe and central Asia. The epithet is from clara, the Latin for “clear.” The mucilaginous nutlets were used to clear foreign objects from eyes. The nutlets were placed in the eye, whereupon they produced a mucilage that entrapped the grit and other material, after which the nutlets were easily removed. The common name, clary, is said to be a corruption of “clear eye.”
This easy-to-grow plant reaches 2 to 5 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide. Plant in average, well-drained soils in full sun. Clary sage does well in light, gravelly, dry or sandy soils. Wet soil in winter should be avoided. It is drought-tolerant. Rich, excessively fertilized soils produce tall plants with few flowers. Propagate clary sage by seeds (nutlets), which, as with many sage species, produce mucilage when exposed to water (cf. chia, Salvia hispanica).
The fragrant leaves of clary sage are much used in perfumery and as a flavoring in wines and liqueurs. The flowers are fragrant, showy white-lavender-pink blooms that appear from June to August. As flowers fade, cut stalks back to near the ground to encourage a second flush of growth and flowering. Clary sage is resistant to browsing by deer and rabbits and quite drought tolerant.
Use clary sage in herb, butterfly and pollinator gardens. It is also good planted as a border or in small groups in a naturalized area. It is an old-fashioned stalwart of cottage gardens.
Insect, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems.
VIDEO Created by Elisabeth Meyer for "Annuals, Perennials, Vines, and Groundcovers," a plant identification course developed in partnership with Longwood Gardens.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Turkestanica'
White flowers | formerly treated as a distinct species
- 'Turkestanica'
- 'Turkestanica'
- Tags:
















- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Turkestanica'
White flowers | formerly treated as a distinct species
- 'Turkestanica'
- 'Turkestanica'
- Tags:
-
-
Attributes:
- Genus:
- Salvia
- Species:
- sclarea
- Family:
- Lamiaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Seeds used to clear the sight and reduce inflammation of the eye. The plant has also been used for its antispasmodic, astringent, properties and to reduce flatulence.
- Life Cycle:
- Biennial
- Perennial
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Mediterranean region of southern Europe to Central Asia
- Wildlife Value:
- Flowers attract native bees and butterflies. This plant is resistant to damage by deer.
- Edibility:
- Leaves are delicious in omelets, fritters, and stews; flavoring of beers and wines; oil.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 5 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 2 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
-
-
Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Edible
- Herb
- Herbaceous Perennial
- Habit/Form:
- Clumping
- Erect
- Mounding
- Multi-stemmed
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- Medium
-
-
Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Soil Texture:
- High Organic Matter
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Shallow Rocky
- Soil pH:
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Occasionally Dry
- Very Dry
- Available Space To Plant:
- 12 inches-3 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
-
-
Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Cream/Tan
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Summer
- Fruit Type:
- Schizocarp
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- Schizocarp has 4 lobes and breaks apart to yeild 4 single-seeded nutlets.
-
-
Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Cream/Tan
- Pink
- Purple/Lavender
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Panicle
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Long-lasting
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Lipped
- Tubular
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Bracts
- fused petals
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- The inflorescence consists of whorls of 4 to 6 flowers in upright panicles held above the foliage. Two-lipped white to lavender flowers surrounded by mauve-pink bracts.
-
-
Leaves:
- Leaf Color:
- Gray/Silver
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Soft
- Velvety
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Whorled
- Leaf Shape:
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Dentate
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Basal rosette of fragrant grey-green wrinkled leaves
-
-
Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Green
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Cross Section:
- Square
- Stem Leaf Scar Shape:
- C-shaped, Cresent shaped
- Stem Lenticels:
- Not Conspicuous
-
-
Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Naturalized Area
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Cottage Garden
- Edible Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Design Feature:
- Border
- Small groups
- Attracts:
- Bees
- Butterflies
- Pollinators
- Specialized Bees
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Drought
- Dry Soil
- Rabbits