Χαχομηλιά του Τροόδους, Σάλβια η γουϊλλεανα
Etymology of Salvia willeana: The genus's name comes from the Latin "salvo", which means "to save", referring to the genus's medicinal properties, allegedly capable of "saving lives". Its epithet "willeana" reveals that it was named after a person (maybe after the Norwegian botanist Nordal Wille).
At least ten Salvia species/kinds grow without human intervention in Cypriot nature, of which two appear exclusively in occupied northern Cyprus. An eleventh species might exist, this one also in Cyprus north, but there is not much proof regarding its existence.
Salvia willeana is encountered at high altitudes in Cyprus, between 1050–1950 metres. Thus it exists only in the Troodos Mountains Range. Salvia willeana is an endemic plant to Cyprus which mostly grows on moist rocky mountainsides or under pines. The specimen in the images was photographed near Troodos square, at an altitude of 1650 metres. Salvia willeana's flowers could differ from plant to plant and can be bluish-violet, pink, or white (as in the pictures). Its flowering period is between May and October.
