21)+Salvia

=Sage= //Salvia spp.// Lamiaceae

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Classification:
//Salvia spp.// or more commonly known as sage, is an angiosperm, or flowering plant, and is a dicotyledon (dicot) which is a name for a group of flowering plants whose seed has two embryonic leaves (cotyledon). Salvia plants are monoecious, meaning that flowers of this plant have both reproductive parts. Monoecious literally translates to "one home" meaning that each reproductive part has a flower to themselves, whereas a diecious plant has both reproductive parts in each flower. .

Family characteristics:
Number of Petals (average)- Usually 2

Number of Stamen (average)- Usually four didynamous stamen

General Description of Flower- Papilionaceous (petals shaped like a butterfly), usually a blue or purple color

Leaves- Usually oppositte without stipules (small outgrowth at the base of leaf) that are decussate (cross or intersect)

Stem- Often square in cross-section, smooth

Fruit- Normally has 4 mericarps (single-seeded carpels), sometimes has 2-4. Ovary is superior and normally composed of 2 carpels.

Herbacious or woody- Herbacious

Size:
My plant's flowers are on average, around a foot in length off the stem, but often are longer, ranging up to around a foot and a half.

Identifying fatures:
Flower- The flower on my plant is a dark purple color, however they are just beginning to bloom and thus hard to see. Along the side of the stem, many flowering buds grow out in ring formations, and the flowers grow off of these buds. The flowers are not going to be very large or long.

Leaves- Leaves lie oppositte of one another, and they kind of fuzzy in texture. These particular salvia leaves no stipules, and for the time being, are semi-shriveled and closed up a little bit. They are each rarely longer than a centimeter in length.

Stem- Stem is herbacious and in the shape of a square. The color going down the stem fluxuates between a green color, a darker, purple color, and a light brownish color. It is flimsy and easily bendible, and feels almost hollow on the inside.

This salvia plant has very fragrant, aromatic foliage, and is very pleasant on the eyes. As a plant, the leaves are very green, and the branches and base are a brown color, that looks very similar to that of many trees, which looks very nice in contrast to the darker, purple flowers. Salvia plants are known to attract butterflies as well.

Location/Habitat:
The salvia plant should be ideally be in a hardiness zone of an 8 or a 9, and thrives in an average temperture of 59-68 degrees fareinheit. Different species of salvia can be found virtually anywhere in the world, but the center of diversity and the origin of the species appears to be in Asia.

Water/Sun Requirements:
In order to flourish, salvia need full sun, and thrive in good garden soil with excellent drainage. My particular plant has pretty ideal conditions, although they could be better. For a lot of the day it is in direct sunlight. However, there is a tree relatively close that could potentially block some of the sunlight. The soil it is growing in is very soft and loamy, and based on my knowledge about growing plants, is pretty ideal for my plant.

Reproduction:
A key characteristic of the salvia plant is the way in which it's 2 stamen combine to form a lever of sorts. When a pollinator enters the flower, the lever activates which causes the stamen to move and dispense pollen onto the pollinator. The lever then returns to its normal position when the pollinator leaves. When the pollinator enters another salvia flower, the pollen is placed back onto a place similar to where it had been withdrew from the previous flower.

Special Adaptations:
Some salvia plants retain water very well, because they thrive in very hot, dry areas. Most salvia plants are also adapted to maximize their potential energy intake through photosynthesis from the sun.

Additional Information:
I believe that my specific salvia plant is Salvia leucophylla, or more commonly known as purple sage. I believe this because the flowers are purple, and it is a common type of salvia in California. These Purple Sage bushes are known to live for a pretty long time; usually at least 30 years.

Evaluation of DaVinci Plant:
The Da Vinci plant appears to be healthy, due to it's vibrant colors and seemingly healthy, sturdy branches/roots. It is in pretty direct sunlight, which is ideal for salvia plants, but there is a tree that partially blocks some sun. The soil it is planted in however, is soft and loamy and drains easily, which is a characteristic that is very good for salvia plants.

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Created by: Eli Siegel