Towards a new classification of Salvia s.l.: (re)establishing the genus Pleudia Raf.

Salvia L. In its traditional circumscription is the largest genus within the mint family. To date, the magnitude of the task has rendered it difficult to provide a genus-wide revision based on morphological data. Current molecular investigations based on a dense taxon sampling representing the whole phenotypic diversity and distribution range of Salvia confirmed that the genus is polyphyletic. Salvia species fall in 4 distinct clades, although all of them, except Clade IV, also include non-Salvia genera. A taxonomic revision is thus urgently needed with two different approaches that have to be considered: (1) to include the 5 morphologically distinct non-Salvia genera in Salvia or (2) to sp…