Meadow clary  (Salvia pratensis)

Meadow clary is an attractive herb (1), which produces striking deep blue to violet hooded flowers. These are 20 to 30 millimetres long, and held aloft on a long raceme (a flower spike upon which the individual flowers have stalks), which may reach 80 centimetres in height (2). Some populations contain male-sterile plants, which have smaller flowers (4). The leaves are a rich, dark green colour and have a crinkled upper surface (2).