Salvia lyrata
cancerweed, lyreleaf sage, lyre-leaf sage, cancer weed, cancer-weed
Family
Lamiaceae
Leaf Arrangement
opposite, basal (rosulate)
Leaf Attachment
petiolate, sessile
Leaf Margin
lobed, lyre, pinnatifid, repand, sinuate
Leaf Type
cauline, simple
Leaf Shape
oblanceolate, obovate, spatulate
Growth Form
forb
Flower Color
blue, purple, white
Flower Month
January, February, March, April, May, June, December
Height (meters)
0.3 - 0.8
Milky Sap
No
Armed/Unarmed
Unarmed
Origin
native
Lifespan
perennial
Growing Season
Cool season
Wetland Class
FACU
Prairie Coefficient of Conservatism
2
Field Characters
A perennial forb with erect, usually one quadrangular stem, sometimes branched, from a basal rosette.
Natural History
Lyre-leaf sage is found in sandy, often disturbed, soils of meadows and roadsides throughout Louisiana and the eastern fourth of Texas. This species often bears cleistogamous flowers (Radford et al 1968).
Habitat
Sandy open woods, meadows and clearings, upland woods, thickets, sandy soils, and roadsides.