ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION Since only a few sage species are being intensely cultivated, there is a rather scarce, scientifically documented information on the interaction of Salvia plants with differ ent environmental components, in particular stress factors potentially related to physiological disorders. In the present chapter several aspects of the ecophysiological adaptation of various Salvia species are reviewed, such as drought, heavy metal and herbicide tolerance and the physiology of seed germination. Furthermore, a descrip tion is given on the available data on the growth competition between plants of the same species as well as among different species.
