About Salvia iodantha Fernald
Salvia iodantha Fernald is a herbaceous perennial plant that is native to the mountainous regions of central Mexico, where it grows at elevations between 2,600 and 10,500 feet. This species was formally described by Merritt Lyndon Fernald in 1900, and it was first introduced into horticultural cultivation during the 1980s. Salvia iodantha is a very robust plant, reaching heights of 10 feet or more and spreading to widths of 6 feet or more. Its stems typically grow in a scandent, climbing habit, often extending into the branches of trees, with the plant's own flowering branches hanging down from the tree's limbs. Numerous branches grow from the base of the plant, and these branches are covered in mistletoe-green ovoid or lanceolate leaves. Leaves vary in size and shape, averaging 2 to 3 inches long and 1 to 1.5 inches wide. The flowers of Salvia iodantha are cyclamen-purple, and many fine hairs cover the flowers to give them a velvety texture. Individual flowers are less than 1 inch long and are not showy on their own, but they are arranged in 6-inch inflorescences that bloom very profusely, making the entire plant extremely showy. The flowers are tightly arranged in whorls, with 12 flowers per whorl, and the whorls are positioned close together along each inflorescence.
