Clary Sage

Clary sage Salvia sclarea L. Mint family
Key identifying traits Has characteristic square stem of mint family Flower color range from white-pink-blue-purple Flower petals divided into arching upper lip and a lower lip, also characteristic of the mint family Large showy bract under each cluster of flowers Erect plant with many branched flower spikes Plant covered with gland tipped hairs with an unpleasant odor Leaves large and mostly basal with toothed margin Biology and ecology A tap rooted biennial 20" to 6' tall Sometimes grown as an ornamental and a traditional producer of essential oils used in perfumery, distilling and tobacco flavoring First year growth as a fuzzy hairy basal rosette Quite competitive on dry sunny sites Can hybridize with Meadow clary if on same site Clary sage is native to southern Europe Control Prevention – Learn to identify plants; know your property; beware of fill dirt, hay and seed from outside your area Biological – None- the closely related Mediterranean sage in Idaho is apparently reduced by a weevil Cultural – Good vegetative cover helps but does not totally prevent spread from adjacent disturbed areas Mechanical – Will not withstand regular tillage; pulling and digging are effective prior to seed production; cutting may be effective if repeated Chemical – Several have been effective for SCNWCB staff if a penetrating surfactant is used to get through the hairs to the leaf surface. Depending on the site, picloram plus 2,4-D, glyphosate, clopyralid plus 2,4-D and clopyralid plus triclopyr have all been effective. Clary sage is not listed in the PNW Weed Management handbook for specific chemical recommendations	flowering plants
	rosette
	inflorescence
*Where found –* Only one rangeland site of less than one acre in Stevens County has a pure wild Clary sage infestation but another site of predominately Meadow clary shows indications of hybridization of the two. MSdoc PDF