Salvia verticillata, the lilac sage[1] or whorled clary, is a herbaceous perennial native to a wide area ranging from central Europe to western Asia, and naturalized in northern Europe and North America.

[2] Salvia verticillata has a leafy base of mid-green leaves covered with hairs, putting up leaf-covered stems that carry 3 feet (0.91 m) inflorescences.

The tiny lavender flowers grow tightly packed in whorls, with tiny lime-green and purple calyces.

The specific epithet verticillata refers to the whorls that grow in verticils.

A cultivar introduced in the 1990s, 'Purple Rain', is much more showy and long-blooming, growing about 2 feet (0.61 m) tall.