Salvia candelabrum

Description

Salvia candelabrum is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae, native to Spain. It is a woody-based perennial growing to 100 cm (39 in), with woolly grey-green leaves that resemble those of the common sage, S. officinalis, and emit a similar scent when crushed. In summer it bears violet-blue flowers on branching stems held high above the foliage. Diterpenes have been isolated from its green tissues. From the aerial parts of Salvia candelabrum have been isolated β-sitosterol, nepeticin (lup-20(29)-ene-3j,lla-diol), candelabrone (11,12,14-trihydroxy-8,11,13-abietatriene-3,7-dione), the rearranged abietane diterpenoids candesalvone A (11,12,14-trihydroxy-19(4→3)-abeo-3,8,11,13-abietatetraen-7-one) and candesalvone B (11,12,14-trihydroxy-7-oxo-3,4-seco-4(18),8,11,13-abietatetraen-3-oic acid), and large amounts of ursolic and oleanolic acids. The root bark afforded 7α-acetoxyroyleanone, 12-O-methypisiferic acid and sugol. Salvia comes from Latin and means 'healer' and is a cognate of the word 'salve'. Candelabrum means 'candle-tree' or 'branched like a candelabra'. Salvia is the largest genus of plants in the sage family Lamiaceae, with nearly 1000 species of shrubs, herbaceous perennials, and annuals. Within the Lamiaceae, Salvia is part of the tribe Mentheae within the subfamily Nepetoideae. One of several genera commonly referred to as sage, it includes two widely used herbs, Salvia officinalis (common sage, or just "sage") and Salvia rosmarinus (rosemary, formerly Rosmarinus officinalis). The genus is distributed throughout the Old World and the Americas (over 900 total species), with three distinct regions of diversity: Central America and South America (approximately 600 species); Central Asia and the Mediterranean (250 species); Eastern Asia (90 species).