Salvia hierosolymitana

Salvia hierosolymitana is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae.^[1][2] It is a herbaceous perennial commonly called Jerusalem salvia or Jerusalem sage that is native to the eastern Mediterranean, with populations in Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank.^[3][4] It typically grows in open fields, rocky soils, and among low-growing native shrubs. It was first described in 1853 by botanist Pierre Edmond Boissier, with the epithet "hierosolymitana" referring to "royal, sacred Jerusalem".

It forms a mound of basal leaves that spreads to 2 ft, and slightly less in height. The ovate mid-green leaves are evergreen, lightly covered with hairs, and with a scalloped margin, growing 8–10 in long with prominent veining underneath. The 1 in or smaller flowers are a wine-red color, growing in widely spaced whorls, with 2-6 flowers per whorl. The lower lip is white, with wine-red spotting. The calyces are pea-green with red veins and bracts edged in red. The square stem of the 1 ft long inflorescences are also edged in red. Unlike many salvias, there is no odor when the leaves are crushed, and there is no known medicinal use of this plant.^[5]

In Jordanian and Palestinian cuisine, the leaves are being stuffed with meat and rice then cooked with lamb riblets.^[3][6]

In Jordan and Palestine, the plant is used for folk herbal medicine for treating various ailments, the seeds are used to prepare a remedy for skin cancer.^[6]

• UBC Botanical Garden page