Taxonomic history:
1753: Linnaeus described this species as Salvia officinalis in Species Plantarum, 1st ed., p. 23.
today: The current name for this species is Salvia officinalis L.
original Latin diagnosis
Salvia foliis lanceolato-ovatis integris crenulatis, floribus spicatis, calycibus acutis.
English translation
Salvia with leaf blades lanceolate-ovate, entire, [and] crenulate; with flowers spicate; [and] with calyces acute.
English translation with commentary
| Salvia | Salvia |
| with leaf blades | foliis - ablative plural of second declension neuter noun folium, folii |
| lanceolate-ovate, | lanceolato-ovatis - lanceolato- (combining form of group A adjective lanceolatus, -a, -um) + ovatis (ablative plural neuter of group A adjective ovatus, -a, -um); modifies foliis |
| entire, | integris - ablative plural neuter of group A adjective integer, integra, integrum; modifies foliis |
| [and] | [added for smoother reading] |
| crenulate; | crenulate - ablative plural neuter of group A adjective crenulatus, -a, -um; modifies foliis [to be determined: What did Linnaeus mean by saying that leaf blades are both entire and crenulate?] |
| with flowers | floribus - ablative plural of third declension masculine noun flos, floris |
| spicate; | spicatis - ablative plural masculine of group A adjective spicatus, -a, -um; modifies floribus |
| [and] | [added for smoother reading] |
| with calyces | calycibus - ablative plural of third declension masculine noun calyx, calycis |
| acute. | acutis - ablative plural masculine of group A adjective acutus, -a, -um; modifies calycibus |