Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Salvia coccinea

Flowers and leaves. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, between Bangalow and Lismore

Flowering stem. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, between Bangalow and Lismore

Common name

Scarlet Sage, Tropical Sage

Family

Lamiaceae

Where found

Woodland, disturbed sites, roadsides, gardens, plantation crops, and near streams Coast and ranges north of Picton.

Notes

Introduced perennial herb to 1.5 m high. Stems four-angled, hairy with short hairs and long spreading hairs. Leaves aromatic when rubbed. Leaves opposite each other, 1.5–6 cm long, 10–50 mm wide, tips pointed to more or less blunt; base squared off or cordate; margins scalloped or toothed; lower surface usually densely covered with short hairs, upper surface mostly sparsely hairy. Flowers bright red, rarely pink or white, 15–30 mm long,  tubular, 2-lipped, with 5 lobes. Flowers in 3–10 flowerered subclusters per pair of bracts, the bracts falling early, forming an elongated cluster. Flowering: throughout the year.  

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Salvia~coccinea (accessed 6 February, 2021)