Scientific Name:
Salvia elegans
Pronunciation:
SAL-vee-uh ELL-ih-ganz
Common Name:
pineapple sage
Family Name:
Lamiaceae
Plant Type:
Annual (grown as), Herbaceous perennial
Key ID Features:
Stems 4-sided; leaves opposite, ovate, most blades 5-8cm long x 3-5cm wide, pineapple odour when crushed; spike-like verticillasters up to 20cm long, flowers two-lipped, tubular, 2-3cm long, bright scarlet, Aug to hard frost.
Habit:
Spreading, Upright
Form:
Mounded
Texture:
Medium
Mature Height:
0.7 - 1.3m
Mature Spread:
0.3 - 0.6m
Origin:
Central America, Mexico
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 8a: (-12 to -9.5 °C)
Exposure:
Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Attract birds, Attract butterflies, Bedding plant, Fragrance, Herb, Medicinal plant, Perennial border
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Opposite
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible
Surfaces:
Glabrous, Distinctive smell
Shapes:
Ovate
Apices:
Acute
Margins:
Serrate
Additional Info:
Aromatic - like pineapple
Inflorescence Type:
Verticillaster, Spike-like
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Bilabiate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Showy, Red
Flower Scent:
Fragrant
Flower Time at Peak:
Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov
Additional Info:
Inflorescence may branch to be panicle-like.
Fruit Type:
Schizocarp
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Oct, Nov
Additional Info:
Not showy, Ovary separates into four tiny mericarps or "nutlets" that are enclosed in a persistent calyx
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green
Propagation:
Stem tip cuttings
Maintenance:
Low
Pest Susceptibility:
Mites
