Salvia rubescens

Salvia rubescens is a herbaceous perennial native to the state of Mérida in Venezuela. The University of California Botanical Garden had been growing it since 1993 from a plant collected that year in Venezuela, only identifying it as S. rubescens in 2001.

Salvia rubescens is an erect plant that grows 4-5 feet tall, and is fully covered with mid-green ovate leaves with a sawtooth edge. The leaves grow as large as 4.5 inches long by 3.5 inches wide, and are lightly covered with hairs on both surfaces. The inflorescences grow another 1-2 feet above the foliage, with flowering beginning in midsummer and lasting until frost. The flower stems and the calyx are both dark purple and covered with fine hairs. The 1 inch flowers are a vibrant red-orange color, growing in widely spaced whorls. Many flowers come into bloom at the same time, making for a very showy plant.