Greek stachys — spike, referring to the spike-like flower clusters in some species.
Annual or perennial herbs or small shrubs. Leaves opposite, entire or toothed. Flower clusters of whorls of 2-many flowers, dense, spike-like or head-like. Flowers with calyx 5-10-veined, of 5 equal, often bristly teeth. Corolla 2-lipped. Stamens in 2 unequal pairs.
Generally grown as border or edging plants, S. byzantina for its soft grey-hairy leaves.
Seeds or division.
S. affinis and S. sieboldii from Asia have edible tubers, other species have medicinal properties.
Calyx with 5-10 nerves; upper pair of stamens shorter than lower pair.
About 300 species from temperate to subtropical regions, a few species from the montane tropics.
Source: (2002). Salvia. In: . Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 4. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 3. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.