Salvia sclarea
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| Salvia sclarea L. |
Salvia sclarea, clary, or clary sage, is a biennial herb in the genus Salvia which is native throughout Europe and east and central Asia, but which was historically mostly found in southern France, Italy, Switzerland, and Syria.
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[edit] Growth
At maturity it reaches 1 m in height and has opposing, wooly-texture leaves that are 10-20 cm long and 6-12 cm broad. Its flowers appear in several clusters of 2-6 on the stem, are 2.5-3.5 cm long, and are white, pink, or pale purple in color. Clary has a strong and unusual odour that is considered unpleasant by some and very attractive to others.
Today it is mostly grown in England, France, and southern Russia for the perfume industry.
[edit] Uses
The distilled essential oil is occasionally found in specialty stores and scent shops. This odor is sometimes described as "sweaty", spicy, or "hay-like".
Clary seeds have a mucilaginous coat, which is why some old herbals recommended placing a seed into the eye of someone with a foreign object in it so that it could adhere to the object and make it easy to remove.[citation needed]
The leaves have also been used as a vegetable.
In ales, clary was used as a flavoring before the use of hops became common. Additionally it has been used to flavor wine, notably muscatel, and some tobacco products.
[edit] Gallery
 Clusters of clary flowers |
[edit] References
- Huxley, A; et al., (Eds) (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan.
- German: Wikipedia: Muskatellersalbei
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