Salvia scutellarioides
Encyclopedia
Salvia scutellarioides is an evergreen perennial native to the Andes
Mountains in Ecuador, Columbia, and Peru, growing at elevations from 3,300 to 10,000 feet in mild climates where there is year-round moisture. Even though it was described by Carl Sigismund Kunth
in 1817, as of 2002 it was still rarely seen in horticulture. The specific epithet is due to its similarity to Scutellaria
, a genus in the mint family.
Salvia scutellarioides is evergreen and prostrate, with graceful trailing stems that reach 1.5 feet in length. The forest-green deltoid leaves generously cover the plant, varying in length but averaging about 3.5 inches long and wide. The back surface of the leaf has raised veins, and both surfaces are lightly covered with hairs. Though flowering is sparse, the striking .5 inch flowers are a brilliant blue, with a tiny hairy green calyx. Flowering begins in late summer and continues sporadically through late autumn. The inflorescences are 6-8 inches long, with the flowers growing opposite.
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
Mountains in Ecuador, Columbia, and Peru, growing at elevations from 3,300 to 10,000 feet in mild climates where there is year-round moisture. Even though it was described by Carl Sigismund Kunth
Carl Sigismund Kunth
Carl Sigismund Kunth , also Karl Sigismund Kunth or anglicized as Charles Sigismund Kunth, was a German botanist...
in 1817, as of 2002 it was still rarely seen in horticulture. The specific epithet is due to its similarity to Scutellaria
Scutellaria
Scutellaria is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It contains about 300 species, which are commonly known as skullcaps...
, a genus in the mint family.
Salvia scutellarioides is evergreen and prostrate, with graceful trailing stems that reach 1.5 feet in length. The forest-green deltoid leaves generously cover the plant, varying in length but averaging about 3.5 inches long and wide. The back surface of the leaf has raised veins, and both surfaces are lightly covered with hairs. Though flowering is sparse, the striking .5 inch flowers are a brilliant blue, with a tiny hairy green calyx. Flowering begins in late summer and continues sporadically through late autumn. The inflorescences are 6-8 inches long, with the flowers growing opposite.