Salvia rubescens is a herbaceous perennial native to the state of Mérida

Mérida (state)

Mérida State is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is Mérida.Mérida State covers a total surface area of 11,300 km² and, in 2007, had an estimated population of 843,800.- Climate and Vegetation :...

 in Venezuela

Venezuela

Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

. The University of California Botanical Garden

University of California Botanical Garden

The University of California Botanical Garden is a 34 acre botanical garden located on the University of California, Berkeley campus. The Garden is in the campus's Strawberry Canyon which overlooks the San Francisco Bay...

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 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.