About Salvia sclarea L.
Salvia sclarea L. reaches 3 to 4 ft (0.91 to 1.22 m) in height, with thick, square stems covered in hairs. Its basal leaves are approximately 1 ft (0.30 m) long, while leaves growing higher up on the plant are 0.5 ft (0.15 m) long. The upper leaf surface is rugose and covered in glandular hairs. Flowers grow in verticils, each holding between two and six flowers. These verticils are held in large colorful bracts, which range in color from pale mauve to lilac, or white-to-pink with a pink mark on the edge. The lilac or pale-blue corolla is approximately 1 in (2.5 cm), with its lips held wide open. The cultivar S. sclarea 'Turkestanica' has pink stems, petiolate leaves, and white, pink-flecked blossoms on spikes that grow up to 30 inches (76 cm) tall. The distilled essential oil of Salvia sclarea is widely used in perfumes, most often as a supporting note, and as a muscatel-like flavoring for vermouths, wines, and liqueurs. It is also used in aromatherapy. In the United States, large-scale production of this oil occurs mostly in and around Bertie County in northeastern North Carolina.
