Scientific name: Salvia farinacea Benth.

Family: Lamiaceae

Common name: Mealycup Sage

May begins in full colour, and for this we are going to the garden of the senses to enjoy the blue spectacle of the sage. It is an erect herbaceous perennial that can reach more than a metre in height. The stems are tomentose, greyish in colour, as they are covered with a dense pilosity, hence the name farinacea, due to their ‘mealy’ appearance. Since ancient times, salvias have been considered to have curative properties for many diseases, hence the name of the genus, which comes from the Latin salvare or salvus, meaning healing or health.
The leaves of Mealycup Sage are narrow, lanceolate in shape with a slightly and irregularly toothed edge. The flowers are grouped in spike-like inflorescences up to about 25 cm. The lower lip is longer than the upper lip and the stamens are fused, inserted at the edge of the corolla tube. The petals are deep violet-blue; they are not velvety unlike other salvias, so the colour of the flowers is more intense and brighter than in other species of the genus. Due to its long and showy flowering, it is mainly cultivated as an ornamental plant. Among the medicinal virtues attributed to it are its use as an anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, beneficial for strengthening the immune system, to alleviate digestive problems and even as a memory enhancer.
It has a preference for warm climates and sunny locations; it is fairly resistant to drought, although it needs regular watering in soil that drains well and does not become waterlogged. It has a preference for warm climates and sunny locations; it is fairly drought-resistant, although it needs regular watering in soil that drains well and does not become waterlogged. It is native to northern Mexico and in the United States in central and eastern Texas and New Mexico.