Varronia curassavica

Varronia curassavica
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Boraginales
Family:	Boraginaceae
Genus:	Varronia
Species:	V. curassavica
Binomial name
Varronia curassavica Jacq.
Synonyms
Cordia littoralis M.Martens & Galeotti Pittier Pittier Cordia macuirensis Dugand & I.M.Johnst. Cordia mollis Cordia cuneiformis Pittier Cordia oxyphylla A.DC. Cordia palmeri A.DC. S.Watson Cordia peruviana var. mexicana A.DC. Cordia rugosa Cordia curassavica Willd. ex Schult. Cordia salicina A.DC. Cordia canescens (Jacq.) Roem. & Schult. Brandegee Cordia spicata Willd. ex Schult. Cordia stenophylla Cordia cylindrostachya var. interrupta Alain (A.DC.) Borhidi Cordia verbenacea Varronia brevispicata A.DC. Varronia cuneiformis Lithocardium angustifolium (A.DC.) Griseb. Kuntze Varronia salicina Lithocardium brevispicatum (Kunth) Borhidi (M.Martens & Galeotti) Kuntze Varronia graveolens Lithocardium canescens Cordia divaricata (Kunth) Kuntze Varronia interrupta Lithocardium cuneiforme Varronia macrostachya (A.DC.) Kuntze Cordia brevispicata Kunth Kunth (Jacq.) Kuntze Lithocardium divaricatum (Kunth) Kuntze Cordia graveolens (Benth.) Kuntze Lithocardium lineare (A.DC.) Kuntze Kunth (Jacq.) Kuntze Lithocardium oxyphyllum (A.DC.) Kuntze Cordia guianensis (A.DC.) Kuntze Lithocardium verbenaceum Cordia chacoensis (Desv.) Roem. & Schult. (H.West) Friesen Montjolya bullata (L.) Friesen Cordia hispida (Desv.) Friesen Varronia angustifolia H.West Benth. (M.Martens & Galeotti) Borhidi Varronia chacoensis (Chodat) Borhidi Cordia imparilis (A.DC.) Borhidi Varronia divaricata Chodat J.F.Macbr. (Kunth) Borhidi Varronia guianensis Desv. Cordia interrupta (A.DC.) Borhidi Varronia intonsa (I.M.Johnst.) J.S.Mill. A.DC. Jacq. Varronia oxyphylla (A.DC.) Borhidi Cordia intonsa (A.DC.) Borhidi Varronia verbenacea Cordia chepensis I.M.Johnst. Montjolya guianensis Montjolya angustifolia (A.DC.) Kuntze Cordia linearis Lithocardium salicinum Lithocardium macrostachyum Lithocardium hispidum A.DC. Lithocardium curassavicum Cordia socorrensis

Varronia curassavica, synonym Cordia curassavica, commonly known as black sage or wild sage, is a species of flowering plant in the borage family, Boraginaceae. It is sometimes called tropical black sage to distinguish it from another unrelated species named black sage, Salvia mellifera. It is native to tropical America but has also been widely introduced to Southeast Asia and the tropical Pacific region, where it is an invasive weed. The specific epithet is a latinised form of Curaçao, an island in the southern Caribbean Sea region and the locality of the type collection.

Description

Black sage is a many-branched shrub growing up to 3 m in height and smelling strongly of sage. Its leaves are lanceolate to ovate in shape, 40–100 mm long and 15–60 mm wide. The small white flowers grow in clusters at the ends of the branches; they have a funnel-shaped corolla, 4–6 mm long. The small, fleshy red fruits each contain a single 4–5 mm long seed.

Sources

• "Cordia curassavica (Jacq.) Roem. & Schult". Flora of Australia Online. Australian Biological Resources Study. 1993. Retrieved 2010-12-02.