Salvia veneris

Salvia veneris
Conservation status
Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Lamiaceae
Genus:	Salvia
Species:	S. veneris
Binomial name
Salvia veneris Hedge
Synonyms
Salvia crassifolia Sibth. & Smith

Salvia veneris, the Kythrean sage, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae that is endemic to Cyprus. It is found in a very small area just west of the village of Kythrea. A study in 2004 found only approximately 4,000 surviving plants.

Salvia veneris has felt-like leaves growing in a basal rosette. The flowers are bi-colored, with the upper lip blue and the lower lip white with pale yellow markings. The stems give off a pleasant fragrance when crushed. The basal rosette leaf habit is unusual in the genus Salvia, and is thought to be an adaptation to grazing by goats.

References

1. Viney, D.E.; Christofides, Y.; Kadis, C. (2006). "Salvia veneris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2006: e.T61665A12534804. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2006.RLTS.T61665A12534804.en. Retrieved 16 November 2021.

Sources

• de Montmollin, Bertrand; Wendy Strahm (2005). IUCN/SSC Mediterranean Islands Plant Specialist Group (ed.). The top 50 Mediterranean Island plants: wild plants at the brink of extinction, and what is needed to save them. IUCN. ISBN 978-2-8317-0832-4.