Meadow Clary

Meadow clary Salvia pratensis L. Mint family
Key identifying traits Has characteristic square stem of mint family Flowers blue to violet with small green bracts Flower petals divided into arching upper lip and a lower lip, also characteristic of the mint family Plants generally 1-2' tall with few to many flowering spikes Leaves have bumpy surface and pointed tip Plant covered by small glandular hairs Plants range from strong odor to no odor Biology and ecology A herbaceous perennial, spread mainly by seed but can regrow from nearly woody, persistent tap roots (observation by SCNWCB) Sometimes grown as an ornamental Stressed or damaged plants can send up new plants from the remaining roots Quite competitive on dry sunny sites and able to live on deeper, less well drained sites as well Meadow clary is native to western Asia, northern Africa & Europe Can hybridize with Clary sage if on same site Control Prevention – Learn to identify plants; know your property; beware of fill dirt or contaminated equipment Biological – None; the closely related Mediterranean sage in Idaho is apparently reduced by a weevil Cultural – Good vegetative cover helps but does not prevent infestation and spread Mechanical – Not believed to withstand regular tillage; pulling cutting and digging are effective only if repeated with diligence to kill regrowth and new plants from roots Chemical – Several have been effective for SCNWCB staff if a penetrating surfactant is used to get through the hairs to the leaf surface. Control seems to be best if done in the fall or during bud-bloom stage, but rosettes have been treated effectively. Depending on the site, picloram plus 2,4-D, clopyralid plus 2,4-D and clopyralid plus triclopyr have all been effective. Meadow clary is not listed in the PNW Weed Management handbook for specific chemical recommendations	flowering plant
	rosette
	inflorescence
*Where found –*Less than a total of 10 acres near Waitts Lake, west of Addy and in the Kettle Falls area of Stevens County. May be hybridizing with the biennial Clary sage. MSdoc PDF