Meadow clary or Common sage: how to tell them apart?
Meadow clary and Common sage look alike and are often mixed up. Here is how to tell them apart, feature by feature, with their photos and the details to look for.
⚡ The quick answer
Meadow clary
Salvia pratensis
Common sage
Salvia officinalis
Cultivated common sage has thick, crinkled, grey-green, very aromatic leaves, whereas wild meadow clary has thinner, less aromatic leaves and smaller blue-violet flowers in loose spikes.
🍃 Leaves
In a basal rosette, crinkled, toothed
Evergreen, ovate, crinkled, grey-green, very aromatic
🌸 Flowers
Bright blue-violet, in widely spaced whorls along an erect spike, square stem
Spikes of blue-violet gaping flowers
🍎 Fruits
Small brown achenes
Small dry achenes
🪵 Bark
Square herbaceous stem, typical of the Lamiaceae
Low stems, woody at the base, clump-forming habit
📏 Size
40 to 80 cm tall
30 to 60 cm tall
🗺️ Habitat
Dry meadows, banks, often on chalky soil
Vegetable gardens, borders, dry gardens, free-draining soils
⚠️ Toxicity
No known toxicity.
No toxicity at usual culinary doses; concentrated essential oil (thujone) is not recommended for prolonged internal use.
🔎 And from the Common sage side
Cultivated common sage has thick, crinkled, grey-green, very aromatic leaves, whereas wild meadow clary has thinner, less aromatic leaves and smaller blue-violet flowers in loose spikes.
🌿 Go further
Want to practise spotting these details on real photos? Floraneo offers profiles and quizzes for dozens of look-alike species.
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.