Lyre Leaved Sage

Salvia lyrata

Size: 4″ & 1g availability

Flower
Max size: 1.5’ tall
Average size: 1′

Usually Moist, Moist to Dry
Clay, Loam, Sand
Sun, Part Shade
No Salt Tolerance

AKA: Cancer weed, Purple Sage, Meadow Sage

Lyre-leaf Sage blooms in the spring and fall with blue flowers that can sometimes appear purple or white. It can be mixed with grasses or groundcovers to get the feel of a woodland floor, and it heavily re-seeds. It can be mowed. House finches love the seeds. Pollinators such as butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds visit it. The leaves can display a range of color and patterns; they react to environmental changes in light, temperature, and nutrition.

All parts of the plant are edible. This sage is not very strong tasting and has a rather pleasant minty flavor. When flowering, the whole plant can be harvested and dried for later use. The leaves are best when young and fresh; can be eaten raw, cooked, or brewed in tea. Flowers taste mildly of sage; they make a nice salad garnish.

A popular modern use is as a gargle for treating sore throats and mouth infections. The roots can be made into a salve to treat sores as well. Fresh leaves were crushed and applied to warts as a paste; it was applied every 12 hrs for 1-2 days. Cherokee would mix the leaves and flowers with honey, then drink it to relieve asthma and other respiratory issues.

The leaves press well and make excellent collage pieces. The flowers press well but do not withstand drying processes like silica or oven-drying. The roots create a reddish-brown dye for textiles and crafts.