Salvia Aurea

Such as are delighted with the singular rather than the beautiful appearances of plants, cannot fail of ranking the present species of sage among their favourites.It been called aurea, from the colour of its flowers, ferruginea would perhaps have been more expressive of them, when they first open indeed they are of a yellow colour, but they quickly and constantly become of the colour of rusty iron.The leaves are nearly round, and have a pleasing silvery hue a few of them only, and those chiefly at the extremities of the young shoots, are of the form described by Linn?us in his specific character of the plant, and hence Commelins description (vid. Syn.) is to be preferred, as leading us with more certainty to a knowledge of the plant, the colour of the leaves, the colour and unusual magnitude of the blossoms, are indisputably the most striking features of the species, and therefore to be resorted to for my own part, as a friend to the advancement of the science, rather than as the follower of that great man, I see no good reason why colour should not in many instances, especially where expressive characters are wanting, form a part of the specific character in plants, as well as in animals we are told indeed of its inconstancy. I would ask